NECONN pg 1 9-13-12
- Details
- Category: Past Issues
NECONN boys’ U/14
soccer team
wins opener
Sept. 9 the NECONN Boys’ U/14 soccer team opened the fall season with a 6-1 win over Hebron. With a 19-man roster, NECONN dominated much of the play but couldn’t find the back of the net until 26 minutes into the game. Ryan Black would notch the first goal of the season when Max Paro redirected a pass over the head of the Hebron defense. Black would run under that ball and confidently bury it past the diving Hebron keeper.
Seven minutes later, NECONN’s Sam Paul and Collin Singleton would combine for a pretty give-and-go that Paul blasted from just outside the box into the corner of the net to give the team a 2-0 halftime lead. Defensive leaders in the first frame were Travis Hayward, David Redfield, Cal Wilcox and Elijah Dufour. All four kept the ball away from keeper William Liscomb who had limited action in the net.
In the second half, Zach Gagnon would take over the goalkeeping duties, and Liscomb would take to the field. Taking full advantage of his offensive position, William would time a perfect run to the net as Max Paro delivered a crossing ball. William just cut in front of the goalie and deflected the loose ball into the back of the net.
With a 3-0 lead, the NECONN defense stood strong again. Gagnon was tremendous in the net, and defenders Garrett Sward, Collin Singleton and Ian Sohan made strong plays when the pressure was on.
In the last 20 minutes of the game, the NECONN offense finally found its rhythm. William Hamill, Tristan Anderson and Josh Resnick put together consistent runs at the net to keep the Hebron defense on its heels. Substituting fresh legs to keep the pressure on, it was Marco Suriano who started the next scoring play for NECONN. Marco would feed a nice ball over to Ethan Werstler who, in turn, slotted a pass to Paro who lined a shot just off the Hebron goalie’s gloves into the net.
With the wind now out of Hebron’s sails, Travis Hayward would start the next scoring opportunity when he found Paro cutting into the offensive third. Paro quickly pushed a through-ball to Black who just found space inside the post for NECONN’s fifth goal of the game. A minute later, Paro and Black would repeat the same scoring combination to give the team a 6-0 lead. Hebron would come back with one late goal, but the game had already been determined, and NECONN would start the season with a 6-1 win.
Next on the schedule for the U14 team is Coventry at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 on the Pomfret School campus.