Previews
Centaurs look to repeat late success in soccer
The end of the boys’ soccer season is 2024 was rather memorable.
The Woodstock Academy Centaurs took the East Lyme Vikings to overtime after a scoreless regulation in the ECC Div. I championship match before falling, 8-7, on penalty kicks.
In the first round of the Class L state tournament, the Centaurs also took Berlin, a team they had lost to by three goals early in the season, to penalty kicks after finishing in a 1-1 tie in regulation and lost another close PK round, 5-4.
“I think that can rub off to this year,” said coach Dave St. Jean. “We have lost a lot of players who got us there but we have players who are ready to step up and contribute.”
Like Zach Armbruster. “We are definitely confident. We’re just hungry. We want more out of this team and want to win the ECC championship,” the senior midfielder said.
For St. Jean, it will be a little more familiar this year. He took over for Paul Rearden as head coach for a first time last season after a long stint as an assistant coach in several sports over the years at Woodstock and there is always an adjustment period.
“All the meetings you have to go to,” St. Jean said when asked about the biggest adjustment. “But I have a great assistant coach (Jason Tata), we bounce stuff off each other all the time. I wasn’t really too nervous last year. I just put the kids into position to win and watched them play, encouraged them, I just love it. It’s not stressful, it’s soccer.”
But, as with any high school team, no two years are the same.
The Centaurs, as St. Jean mentioned, lost a number of key individuals.
Leading scorer Derek Rodriguez Arenas (12 goals, 2 assists) has moved on as has Riley Wilcox, Logan Rawson, Will St. John (5, 1) and Garrett Bushey (5, 1 ) plus keeper Eli Susi.
“They were guys who we could depend on that if they went one-on-one, they would come out on top. Eli will probably be the hardest to replace. (Senior keeper) Nate (Couture) is an incredible player but he doesn’t go to goalie camps. He will do his best, he will work as hard as he can and we will get him as ready as we can but losing a goalie like Eli is really tough.”
Aidan Bachand, Collin Teal, Quan Sangasy, Aiden Sanchez, Nate Faucher and newcomer Ronan Curran will play in front of Couture on the defensive side.
“It looks pretty good, but we’re a little light on the defensive side. I think everyone just wants to score goals now and no one wants to get into the trenches. We have a solid group but we have to stay healthy,” St. Jean said.
The strength may be in the midfield where Armbruster (1, 2) will be one of the key components.
“We have good talent up top. We have a couple of kids who played during the offseason and got better. We have people who can put the ball in the back of the net,” Armbruster said.
St. Jean said the team has a lot of speed and another nice component, some size, that should be able to help the Centaurs finish this season.
“Matt Johndrow (2,1) has looked incredible so far, Trevor Gold is up there and we have a newer player, Pedro (Henrique Da Silva), who just came in and looks great. We also brought Brayden de Oliviera up late last season and I’m excited to see what he can do,” St. Jean said.
The Centaurs did just sneak into the postseason with a 5-8-3 overall record so St. Jean would like to see some improvement there but that’s always difficult playing in a tough ECC Div. I alongside East Lyme (which finished undefeated in the regular season last year), Windham, NFA and Fitch.
“Every team in the ECC is challenging; you really never get a game off and, sometimes, the smaller schools are tougher to beat than the bigger schools. We just put out our best effort, that’s our brand, and whatever the outcome is, is the outcome,” St. Jean said.
He believes the pieces are there to make another run toward a league title and a further run into the state tournament but the ball will have to bounce right and the pieces will have to come together.
In Armbruster’s mind, some of that responsibility will fall on the seniors to make it happen.
“I think we’re strong all around. I think we just have to improve mentally. On and off the field, we have to be leaders. I think we have a lot of talent and a lot of people who can step up and lead the younger kids and the new ones,” he said.
The  team travels to Willimantic to play Windham in its season opener at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2.
Girls’ Volleyball
Coach Adam Bottone knew he already had work to do to replace five of his seven starters on the court this season.
Last week, he learned he would also have to replace where his team will play this season.
A water pipe break inside the fieldhouse last week has rendered the facility unusable for a lengthy amount of time and it’s likely the Centaurs will not be able to step on what was to be their home floor this season.
“The initial shock and chaos leaves you pivoting to trying to figure out what to do,” said Bottone. “Regardless of that, it’s our job as coaches to instill in our players that even if we don’t have a facility, doesn’t mean things are not normal for what we’re going to do every day. Everything is about perspective, it can always be worse.”
The Centaurs spent the latter part of last week practicing inside the Strong Fieldhouse at the Pomfret School but Pomfret students return at the end of this week and that option will likely not be available when that happens.
“It’s up in the air as to where we’re going to go and what we’re going to do,” Bottone said. “I’m not worried about it. (Woodstock Academy athletic director) Sean (Saucier) and the administration are working on it and they will figure it out. Ultimately, we have to do what is best for the players; that is my biggest concern.”
Bottone is hopeful that the gymnasium on the Academy’s South Campus could be outfitted to host the volleyball team this season which is currently the direction that is being focused on.
“It’s been rough,” said senior outside hitter Kaylee Bundy. “It’s my senior season and we may not be able to use the gym but it’s not bad (at Pomfret); we’re making it work.”
The Centaurs are coming off a season that saw them finish 21-5 overall.
But gone from that team are setter Sophie Gronski (798 assists), outside hitters Liliana Bottone (286 kills) and Izzy Mojica (230 kills), Libero Cassidy Ladd (375 digs) and middle hitter Mia Sorrentino (161 kills, 26 blocks).
It leaves Bundy (153 kills, 28 blocks) and fellow returning starter Vivian Bibeau (85 kills, 98 digs) with a lot of new faces around them.
“It is really different but I don’t think we will be bad. I have a good feeling about this team. I feel like we’re going to have a good year,” Bundy said.
Add to that, Gianna Musumeci had significant playing time at Libero last season and Lilly Morgis (46 assists) spelled Gronski at setter.
“After that, we get into the weeds about people not having a lot of playing time at the varsity level. I think we will be in competitive but it’s going to take us a bit to find our footing and get into our groove,” Bottone said. “It’s a different look. (Last year’s) group had been starting and playing together since they were sophomores and as I told the girls, now it’s on them. We’re different, that’s OK; we  have to embrace it.”
Another positive, the turnout. Bottone had 62 sign up originally, most of them showed up for tryouts.
“That’s good and that’s bad. It gave us a lot of girls to look at and find the best person to fill the spots at all levels but at the same time, we know we’re going to make a lot of people sad and there will be some tears shed and that happened (at the end of tryouts). It’s too bad. They’re nice kids, we like them, but it just comes down to the skills when you are trying to field a competitive team,” Bottone said.
Despite a very good win-loss record, the Centaurs had expected more a year ago. They lost in the ECC championship match to East Lyme and fell one match shy of their goal in the Class L state tournament when they were tripped up by Bristol Central in the state semifinals.
“Those losses do create desire and hunger but my challenge to them is that even though they have that hunger, what does that really look like and how do you show it?,” Bottone said.
One way to show it — work hard on every play.
“We’re doing a good job of getting after the ball. We’re putting a big emphasis on serve/receive, I’m hoping that will pay off and that they will buy into what we’re trying to accomplish,” Bottone said. “We’re trying to hit home on the discipline of needing to get after every ball. Skill-wise, we’re not bad, we’re pretty good but when you lose as many players as we did, you have to have that win at all cost mentality. When we compete in practice, we’re going to make the losing team hate life so much that they’re never going to want to lose again through conditioning but we’re hoping that transfers over into games.”
The Centaurs will compete in a five-team ECC Div. I this season as Waterford joins the Centaurs, East Lyme, NFA and Fitch.
The league season, for the Centaurs, will end in early October as they will play non-league foes Conard, South Windsor and Amity to end the year.
“I want that,” Bottone said. ”I would rather they be at the end of the season, it will prepare us better for the postseason. I want us to be more seasoned when we play them and for them to be more seasoned. It will give us a true indication of what we are like at the end of the season and it’s a test we need to have.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Girls’ volleyball players practice at their home away from home, for now, at the Strong Field House at Pomfret School.

Woodstock Academy coach Dave St. Jean talks to his soccer players about team rules during the first practice of the season early last week. Photos by Marc Allard.

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