New Canaan’s U9 Boys Black Victorious Over Fairfield 6-0
New Canaan on the offensive vs. FUSA Team 2. Contributed
The rain did not stop New Canaan’s Boys U9 Black on Sunday from landing a resounding victory over FUSA Team 2 in Fairfield. In the first half, New Canaan pulled ahead definitively with a 3-0 lead. Both Jackson Mountford and Hugo Sutton displayed some serious soccer skills with Mountford scoring the first goal and Sutton scoring the next two goals of the half (one assisted by Mountford). In goal, George Matviak prevented Fairfield’s offensive line from getting anything past.
New Canaan scored three more goals in the first five minutes of the second half, putting the boys ahead 6-0. A high sailing ball over the Fairfield goalie by Mountford brought the number of goals to four. A determined Drew DeGaetano put the fifth goal past Fairfield after the goalie fumbled the ball. Mountford, in the first hat trick of the season, scored the last goal. Alex Srinivasan had several great saves in goal, leaving Fairfield to come up empty handed. Undeterred by the rain, all of the boys showed great skill and team play on the field.
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New Canaan U14 Girls Travel Soccer Team String Second 4-0 Shutout Win
New Canaan’s U14 girls travel soccer team notched their second consecutive shutout of the season with a 4-nil victory over Monroe. Despite the bone chilling rain, the NC girls were fired up and brought their game as they defeated the Monroe Panthers away on a very water logged grass field. NC immediately started pressuring the Monroe goal keeper during the first half with little success despite the very slippery ball until NC Maddie Otero’s strike found the back of the net with less than a minute to play before halftime.
During the second half, NC kept up the tempo and were rewarded for their efforts. At the 55-minute mark, NC’s Jane Charlton sent in a brilliant lofting corner kick that went into the goal after ricocheting off a Monroe defender putting NC up 2-0. At the 69-minute mark, NC’s attacking midfielder (Kearney McKiernan) delivered a ballistic missile from more than 25 yards out that streaked into goal barely under the crossbar where the Monroe goal eeper had no chance. An ecstatic McKiernan nearly broke into a jig as she celebrated whilst getting back and ready for the next kickoff. At the 75-minute mark, NC was called for a hand ball which was luckily just outside the box but still in a very dangerous location.
The Monroe striker got it over the NC wall but couldn’t make the ball drop as it barely went over the crossbar but the leaping NC goalie had it covered had the ball dropped. Further fueling the fire, NC’s Katherine Lisecky scored for the second week in row at the 78-minute mark putting NC up 4-0. The feeding frenzy was on, as the rest of the NC strikers and attacking midfielders wanted in on the scoring action to the dismay of the Monroe goalie who barely managed to keep NC from further running up the score.
Monroe’s offensive style was one of smash the ball over the NC defenders and hope that their strikers would win the footrace to the ball. On 2 occasions this tactic worked, however NC goal keeper Michelle LaBadie was up for the challenge; or should I say down, as in both cases LaBadie had to make fully extended dives to keep the ball from getting just inside either the right or left posts. On a different occasion, the alert NC keeper had to take on the role of sweeper instead as she raced more than 10 yards beyond the 18 yard box beating the Monroe striker to the ball where she easily defused the pending danger keeping her sheet clean still for the season.