Roundup
Centaurs
qualify for
state tourney
Following the fourth match of the season, the Woodstock Academy volleyball team sported a 1-3 record. Flash forward to the present. The Centaurs are riding an eight-match win streak following a 3-2 victory over South Windsor Friday
It means Woodstock has already qualified for the Class L state tournament with a 9-3 record.
It was the first time in six matches, however, that the Centaurs had allowed an opposing team to win a set.
“I saw this coming, maybe not the shutout wins, but I knew that we had the personnel to be a successful team. It was just a matter of getting everyone squared away, get that chemistry going, fine tune some of the skills and figure out where people would play. That is the challenge at the beginning of the season- where do people fit in,” said coach Adam Bottone.
It’s that feeling of comfort and also the placement and success of certain key components have led to the recent success.
Tops on that list, solidifying the middle.
“Mia Sorrentino has come on really strong and Reegan (Reynolds) in the past few games has been really productive. Now, we’re able to spread out the offense more so when we have good passing, we can set and terminate from anywhere including the opposite where Vivian (Bibeau) plays and where Kaylee (Bundy) will also get some time,” Bottone said.
The ability to move Bundy to the opposite was based on the addition of Izzy Mojica.
The junior outside hitter has had to bide her time for the first 10 matches.
She transferred into Woodstock Academy and Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference rules call for an athlete to sit the first half of the first athletics season they played at their former school.
Mojica was eligible for the Centaurs’ match with Lyman and delivered seven kills along with Reynolds. Liliana Bottone paced Woodstock with eight.
“She was a little nervous and I don’t think she was too happy with her performance but I thought she did well. She helped shore up our passing and defense which is what we really needed,” Adam Bottone said.
Mojica had not played a competitive match since her club team played in Orlando in late June.
Sophie Gronski had 27 assists in the win over the Bulldogs.
The Centaurs posted set wins of 25-10, 25-18 and 27-25.
“I don’t want the girls to become complacent when we win these games, 3-0. Some of the set scores have been really close. We’re looking at why that is happening and what can we do to ensure that doesn’t happen. Being able to turn that switch on and off, they may think sub-consciously that they can do that, they don’t think that consciously. It can’t be turned on and off,” Adam Bottone said.
Which is why he was happy about Friday’s match as South Windsor proved to be formidable.
The Bobcats won two of the first three sets, the fourth set went to extra points before the Centaurs prevailed, 27-25.
Woodstock captured the victory with a 15-12 final set decision.
Gronski had another good outing at setter with 37 assists. Liliana Bottone and Mojica had 11 kills each while Bibeau added seven. Reegan Reynolds had five aces and the work behind the line was beneficial to the Centaurs’ efforts.
“I put in a few girls to serve (in the fourth set) and they came up clutch at key points. Jackie Dearborn was a big part of that. She got us back ahead late in the game and served it out which was huge. Combine that with the girls stepping up their defensive effort, getting after every ball, helped turn the tide,” Adam Bottone said.
But there is always still work to be done.
“As a team, we actually did not pass that well,” Adam Bottone said. “We were out of system quite a bit. The girls were just a little more effective with their decision-making when being out of system. We still need to work on passing,” Adam Bottone said.
But don’t think that the Woodstock Academy coach is at all unhappy.
“The coach in me is always looking for, not the negative, but the things we need to improve upon,” Adam Bottone said. “I’m very happy that we’re winning. I’m happy that we qualified for States. It’s our job to continue to push the girls to get to where we know they can be.”
Earlier in the week, Woodstock blanked Ledyard, 3-0. Sorrentino had six kills and two blocks in the 25-13, 25-15, 25-18 win over the Colonels. Junior Libero Cassidy Ladd added seven digs and seven service aces.
Prep Soccer
The pouring rain in New York did not faze the prep soccer 1 team Saturday. The Centaurs downed Immaculate Heart Central in a Premier Prep League match, 2-1.
Alec Pentikis scored what proved to be the game-winner for the Centaurs with 15 minutes left in regulation off an assist from Max Maneke.
Alvaro Medrano did the rest in goal as he held Immaculate Heart Central scoreless down the stretch.
Richard Sarpong opened the scoring for the Centaurs with his eighth goal of the season off a rebound 15 minutes into the match.
Immaculate Heart Central tied the game up just before halftime.
For Prep 2, it was a different manner in which to score for senior Jasper Cox.
“I made a pass to Jaiden (Banton) but it wasn’t a great pass so I just ran and tried to get to the ball. I just kept running,” Cox said.
The perseverance paid off.
Putnam Science Academy keeper Angel Miguel, instead of trying to pick up the ball, decided to kick it.
He did so into the oncoming Cox, the ball struck the Amherst, Mass., native in the chest and with no one between it and the goal, rolled into the back of net.
“I don’t think I’ve ever scored one like that,” Cox said.
It was a big goal as it spurred the Centaurs on to a 2-0 victory over the Mustangs Monday.
 “We were kind of struggling to find the net so it was a good start. We found the goal easier and had more chances after that,” Cox added.
The win raised the Centaurs record to 3-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Global Education Sports Partners League.
“I think we’re understanding each other better and we know what every player can do. We’re gelling a bit better than at the beginning (of the season),” Cox said.
The win also came in the first home match of the season.
“It was a good feeling to get a first home match and to start off with a win is an amazing feeling,” right back Ajani Banton said.
Daniel Mesa added a little insurance as he tucked home a rebound just under two minutes later to account for the final score.
The defense did the rest with Dan Covelli and Woodstock alum Calvin Field pitching the shutout in goal.
Covelli had a pretty easy time of it as the Mustangs failed to get a first half challenge.
Putnam Science Academy (0-2, 0-2 GESPL) did have five shots in the second half.
“We conceded zero goals, that was a good start, especially since it was our first home game. I was just glad to concede zero goals. It was a good performance,” Banton said.
Banton did have several chances of his own offensively as he snuck up the field, took two shots in the first half and added a third in the second half that hit the post.
For Banton, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, it’s been a good time thus far, both on and off the soccer pitch.
“I’m loving the campus and the student life. It’s a great place,” Banton said of his decision to attend Woodstock.
Boys’ soccer
Scoring has been at a premium for the last six matches for the Woodstock boys’ soccer team.
The Centaurs had scored just two goals in that span, both coming against Windham.
They made up for it in a big way on Friday night.
Woodstock scored four goals in the first 40 minutes and added three more after the break for a 7-1 win under the lights at Lyman Memorial.
“It was great to get the win,” said coach Paul Rearden. “The boys took a lot of belief from the way they went toe-to-toe with East Lyme and Waterford (both 3-0 losses). I told them after the East Lyme game that if they went out against Lyman and played with that same intensity, they would get their reward. They certainly did.”
The Centaurs (2-6-1) scored three goals in the first 30 minutes of play with Austin Byer getting two of them and Addison Tyimok the other.
Zach Armbruster added a fourth goal with two minutes left in the half.
Armbruster added an assist as did Byer in the first half and Armbruster scored a second goal of his own early in the second half off an assist from Garrett Bushey.
Aidan Sanchez was tripped inside the 18-yard box and was awarded a penalty kick which he converted to make it 6-0.
Will St. John concluded the scoring for the Centaurs with a goal off a Matt Johndrow assist with seven seconds to play.
“We made our own luck. We took a lot of shots and finally got the breaks that the lads’ work deserved,” Rearden said.
Those breaks didn’t happen against the Vikings earlier in the week.
Eli Susi made 17 saves but East Lyme still punched in three goals and kept the Centaurs off the scoreboard.
Girls’ Soccer
Coach Dennis Snelling knew his team was headed into the teeth of its schedule. He was right.
The Centaurs (3-4-2) ran into a trio of hot clubs which made for a difficult week.
It ended on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Waterford which is now 8-1-1 on the season.
Prior to that, the Centaurs traveled to Bacon Academy to face a Bobcat team that had won five matches in a row coming into their meeting. Bacon prevailed, 4-2.
The Centaurs then hosted non-league foe, Granby, who had a 6-1 record coming into the Wednesday match.
The Bears showed why as they broke out early and posted a 5-2 victory over the Centaurs.
“You try and get better every day but when it starts that rough, you hope that you can make the game respectable and leave feeling like you did your best,” Snelling said.
The Centaurs accomplished that.
They gave up five tallies to Granby in the first half, including two each to Addyson Earl and Alyssa Mackowski.
Earl has already committed to a Division I scholarship program.
“Her first two touches on the ball were goals. Juliet (Allard) was put on her and she kept up with her nicely. She’s our go-to player when we have to keep up with someone like that. She had to stay on her and deny her the ball and she did just that,” Snelling said.
Earl was held scoreless in the second half by both Allard and Freya Robbie.
“Sometimes, when you stop that one player, you can take control of the game,” Snelling said. “We didn’t control the game but we had a good grip on the second half.”
The Centaurs were able to chip away at the Bears’ large lead with junior Leah Costa getting a pair of goals.
The first came off a feed from Elise Coyle with 23 minutes, 21 seconds left in regulation. Costa then made space for herself 12 minutes later and put in her second tally and fourth goal of the week.
Keeper Rebecca Nazer also played a role as she made 10 saves, many of the diving variety to save a goal.
“She got to show off her skills a little bit,” Snelling said.
Costa scored her first two goals of the season earlier in the week against the Bobcats.
The first came off an assist from Rita Rawcliffe just a little under nine minutes into the contest.
Just a little over four minutes later, the Centaurs were awarded a penalty kick and Costa converted again.
That was the good news early.
But Snelling was concerned.
“We didn’t show up in our best mindset and even when we were up, 2-0, it didn’t feel like a great game. Then we had an injury which made it worse and I felt like we weren’t going to get back into it after that. We’re all human, and there was a lot of emotion about their teammate. It was a tough day all around,” Snelling said.
The Bobcats (7-1-1) rebounded.
Bacon cut the Centaurs lead in half with a goal just before the break and then added three more tallies in the second half for the win.
Field Hockey
The Stonington Bears are on a little run and the Centaurs were unable to stop it on Thursday. In their final match of the season under the lights, the Centaurs fell to host Stonington, 7-1.
It was the fourth win in a row for the Bears.
Grace Pokorny scored the only goal of the game for the Centaurs (2-7, 1-6 ECC). her third of the season off an assist from Georgia Lukachie.
Madison LaVallee was busy in the cage as she turned away 19 shots by the Bears.
Corinne LaMontagne and Kaelyn Tremblay each had four defensive saves while Clara Dowdle added three.
The defense was strong again for the Centaurs earlier in the week, but putting the ball in the cage was a challenge against Fitch.
The Falcons scored twice in the first half and added another in the second for a 3-0 win.
LaVallee made four saves for the Centaurs.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

Defenders Freya Robbie (20) and Payton Leite (5) try to contain Granby’s Addyson Earl (10).

Sophomore Avery Danis (19) of Woodstock tussles with Granby’s Jalisa Matthews for the ball.

Sophomore Kaylee Saucier dribbles the ball across the field against as Granby’s Angela Harris (4) awaits.

Freshman Rita Rawcliffe (front) and junior Juliet Allard (13) try to keep Granby’s Jessica Novotny (11) hemmed in. Photos by Marc Allard.

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