New Canaan FC Girls 2006 Red Notch Semifinal Spot, Beating Fairfield Girls Red 2-0
—by Adrian Oyekanmi
New Canaan makes a run on goal. Contributed
The sky was a deceptive bright blue, masking the cold wintery wind that blew in gusts to welcome the two teams to an epic battle for the qualifying round. The New Canaan girls ran confidently on to the field, faces painted for battle.
The game was off to a flying start as NC was quickly put on the defense. Goalie #52 Tema Wagner was relishing the challenge and sprang into action with a solid save. Soon after, #5 Ava Pertusiello confidently intercepted an attack, booting it to #39 Hadley Walker who made a great run on goal but her efforts were denied by the Fairfield goalie.
New Canaan quickly got in to the rhythm putting constant pressure on the Fairfield defense with a strong run from #15 Kathryn Norton followed closely by a rocket of a shot from #60 Chloe Oyekanmi.. but again saved by the Fairfield goalie.
Halfway through the 2nd half, #8 Devon Russell sprinted up the right side dribbling the defense and managing to squeeze off a shot from the far right for #60 Chloe Oyekanmi to chip it in for a beautiful finish and a 1-0 lead.
The pressure on Fairfield continued with strong passing and dribbling from #4 Cecilia Patterson and #12 Katie Quill. #17 Fiona Mueller in midfield was tireless in her attack and feeding the ball forward. A great dribble and run by #5 Ava Pertusiello was quickly followed by a very fast run on goal by #8 Devon Russell who unleashed a shot on goal but again saved by the goalie to end the first half.
New Canaan continued the pressure on Fairfield in the second half but Fairfield suddenly broke free with a fast shot on goal. Goalie #52 Tema Wagner was ready and denied them an equalizer with a beautiful save.
With our players beginning to tire, a Fairfield striker made a quick break and with clear daylight between her and the goalie, surely she would equalize?? But #15 Kathryn Norton was having none of it, sprinting from mid-field and with pure determination and willpower, intercepting the shot from behind and denying Fairfield a celebration.
Two minutes later, #5 Ava Pertusiello lived up the warrior paint on her face, battling her way from midfield past 4 defenders with relentless determination and toughness to then pass the ball to #39 Hadley Walker who was running into position on the left far side. With her mind made up, Hadley dribbled two defenders before ripping a beautiful scorcher of a shot to the back of the net. Goooooaaaaaalllll. 2-0.
5 minutes later, the whistle blew and the New Canaan FC2006 Girls team proudly rushed off the pitch to their smiling coach, Luke Green and the adoration of their cheering parents! Go Red NC Pride.
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New Canaan Boys 07 White With a 3-1 Win Over Wilton U10 Gold
—submitted by Anne Walker
New Canaan FC Girls 2006 Red
Even though the season is beginning to wind down, New Canaan Boys 07 White did not, once again proving they are force to be reckoned with.
The blustery cool day at Saxe did stop the boys from controlling most of the game from start to finish. Although there was little scoring during the first half, Gustavo do Valle gave New Canaan a one-point advantage by its end and Simon Tchakarov opened the second half with another goal.
It seemed like New Canaan had a comfortable lead but tensions increased after Wilton scored off of a penalty kick, putting the game at 2-1. But not to be discouraged, New Canaan answered back with a definitive third goal by Parker Della Bitta.
All of the boys demonstrated their endurance and speed as well as great footwork, passing skills and defensive abilities, showing just how far they have a come as a team since the beginning of the season.
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New Canaan U10 Girls Red Soccer Finishes Season Top of League with Defeat of Darien 3-1
—submitted by Lisa Riley
New Canaan’s U10 Girls Red Soccer Team Celebrating a Winning Season with Coach Luke Green. Contributed
On Sunday, November 6th, the U10 Girls Soccer Reds faced long-time rival Darien Blue in the last game of the season. The stakes were high for the Mighty Reds and the strong blustery winds couldn’t stop either team from entering the field with determination of winning. Play was very competitive early on with a disqualified goal within minutes of the game by the Reds.
The Reds were not discouraged and continued great offense by Izzy Janiga and Georgina Owsley but Darien came back strong and scored, leading the game 1-0.
New Canaan quickly rallied with well-orchestrated plays in the defense by Christina Swarni and Maddie Hartnett keeping the ball away from the New Canaan goal. With a high-kick from the corner by Sydney Patten, Reece Quinn used the well-paced ball position to pass to Maddie Tully whom put The Mighty Reds on the scoreboard, equalizing the game 1-1.
The strong defense line of Paige Place and Payton DeCamillo fought off the pressing Darien offense and passed to Julia McPhillips, whom on a quick break away moved the ball down the field past the Darien defense and scored putting the Reds in the lead 2-1 at the half.
With momentum behind them, the Mighty Reds returned to the second-half more confident and determined that a win was within reach. Paige Place, Tessa Riley and the speed of Eleanor DuPont lead the offense in the second half with most of the on-field action taking place on the Darien side of the field.
Darien pressed hard to try and equalize but Maddie Tully with a quick pass from Eleanor DuPont scored again bringing the Reds lead to 3-1 clinching the game day victory and Top of League to win in their division.
Teamwork was the key to the win with the girls working together and playing as they have been trained all season long. Congratulations on a well-played season and victory. Gooo Big Reds!!!!
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New Canaan Boys Red 2007: Victorious Sweep in Weekend Action
– submitted by Ed Ho
Top row, L-R: Sajan Shah, Javier Minuesa, Jackson Mountford, Drew DeGaetano, Max Maggard. Bottom Row: Joaquin Blanco, Rogan Lowe, Shane McMahon, William Arnold, Dylan Ho. Contributed
More than just the leaves are peaking this November in New Canaan. Displaying brilliant and colorful talents in soccer amphitheaters surrounded by autumn hues, the 2007 Boys Red team dominated Trumbull on Saturday 8-1, and on Sunday took down Old Greenwich 4-1. Such a joy to behold.
Away at Trumbull’s Indian Ridge Park, NC’s strong midfield and back line play, led by Rogan Lowe, Chase Harden, William Arnold, Joaquin Blanco and Sajan Shah, kept the ball on the attacking side of the field throughout the match. What followed was a rush of goal scoring from the NC Boys. Max “Ocho” Maggard’s consistently passionate style of play paid dividends as he struck first with a clean, left-footed strike that flew past Trumbull’s keeper. Javier Minuesa struck next with flair and confidence in the box and his innate ability to finish. And then it happened – Drew DeGaetano laced up his cleats, clenched his fists and decided to take over the match. Goal 1; Jackson Mountford spots DeGaetano streaking down midfield, hits a well placed break away pass and DeGaetano converts. Goal 2; Shane McMahon sends a lovely cross to DaGaetano that he drives into the back of the net. And then, after a rough foul, NC was awarded a direct kick that DaGaetano’s teammates demand be taken by him for an encore performance – and just like Springsteen at Giants Stadium, Dagaetano delivered what the fans wanted – GOAL 3!! Hats flew in the air in what proved to be an uplifting and memorable moment for the NC faithful. In the closing moments, icing was spread deftly on a celebratory cake by Jackson Mountford, Dylan Ho and Max Haggard as each player scored a goal to cap off a fantastic Saturday afternoon in Trumbull.
Picking up where they left off, the NC ’07 Boys arrived at Old Greenwich on Sunday with a thirst for victory. Coach Dan summarized the NC ’07 Boys performance, “I thought the boys played another excellent game yesterday and were rewarded with what turned out to be a comfortable victory.” Highlighting first half action, Joaquin Blanco made four very “professional” saves that kept the match close. Javier Minuesa and Dylan Ho combined play led to NC’s first goal, with Ho’s pass finding Minuesa in prime position for his clean well-struck shot. Chase Harden anchored the back line throughout the match and hustled back to stop two Old Greenwich goal scoring opportunities right in front of the NC goal mouth. Sajan Shah found his legs early in second half action and pounced for NC’s second goal.
A hallmark of this team’s play the entire season has been strong passing from the midfield and NC’s third goal was a prime example. Rogan Lowe cleared to Jackson Mountford who broke away cleanly and scored NC’s third goal. Putting an exclamation point on his strongest performance of the year, Javier Minuesa scored again after two beautiful passes from “Ocho” Maggard and Drew DeGaetano, the man of the match at Trumbull. William Arnold put up a solid performance in second half goalkeeping stopping all but one of Old Greenwich’s shots.
Final score 4-1 to New Canaan.
I share what each of the parents said on Sunday – we just don’t want this to end! Way to be BOYS!
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NC U12 Black Defeats Old Greenwich 2-1
—By Mike Mottolese
The Old Greenwich Civic Center was the site of a surprisingly chilly faceoff between NC Black and OGRCC Sunday. The winds whipped all game and the girls played on the shady side of the field causing both players and parents to bundle up when on the sidelines.
New Canaan dominated the first half, keeping the ball in OGRCC’s zone for most of the period. Midfielders Reagan Bailey, KK Mottolese, Lauryn Lee and Ava Dunn did a great job containing the ball and feeding it to their forwards Reagan Quinn, Rory McCarthy, Delaney Hoey and Jocelyn Riley. However it wasn’t until Paxton Beladino came in off the bench that NC got on the board. Beladino drove one from deep on the left side, catching the keeper by surprise and putting it on the back of the net. Despite taking an opposing player’s knee to the cheek after a scrap for a loose ball, NC keeper Emily Fox, kept OGRCC off the board for the rest of the first half.
Momentum shifted a bit as OG scored on a breakaway, tying the game at 1-1 early in the second half. Forwards Alex Gelvin, Charlotte Walter and Kelly Marchiony put continued pressure on the OG keeper and NC nearly went ahead when Riley blasted one at close range only to be saved by the opposing keeper. Mottolese also charged in from midfield to blast a loose ball, only to mss by a narrow margin. Mid-way through the period, Peyton Franz found Natalie Plosker at the top of the box and Plosker booted it past the goalie for the score, making it 2-1. Amanda Benson anchored the defense for the remainder of the game with help from Hoey in the backfield. The win sealed a playoff spot for the New Canaan girls, who will face Stamford Saturday in the first round of the four-team playoff in Ridgefield.