Scores dropping for Greyhounds

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Naugatuck’s Abigail Pruchnicki watches her tee shot on the first hole April 27 during a match against Woodland at Oxford Greens in Oxford. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck golf team has seen steady improvement since the beginning of the season and picked up its first win last week against Kennedy.

The Greyhounds topped the Eagles, 246-288, as Colin Sheedy led the way with a 57. Zack Monck shot a 60. The Greyhounds finished out the round with Abigail Pruchnicki hitting a 63 and Abnor Mehmedi checking in with a 66.

“It was good to get one in the win column,” Naugatuck head coach Richard Troy said. “The team is steadily improving. Abi and Abnor have both been playing real well, as of late.”

On Tuesday, the Greyhounds put up their best score of the season in a 185-225 loss to Sacred Heart. Naugatuck’s (1-8) previous best score was a 229 versus Watertown.

Monck led the Greyhounds with a round of 51 on Tuesday. Sheedy (54) Conor White (62) and Mehmedi (58) rounded out the scoring.

Naugatuck has been getting consistent efforts from White, Josh McFarland and Derek McGrath.

Last Thursday, the Greyhounds showed some of that consistent improvement going to Oxford Greens and coming within one stroke of their then-previous season-best score in a 197-230 loss to Woodland.

“Oxford Greens is a tough course. To put up a score that was one stroke from our season-best was a real good effort,” said Troy ahead of Tuesday’s match.

Sheedy was the co-medalist against Woodland with a sterling round of 42. Monck came in with a 60, Pruchnicki shot a 63 and McFarland shot a 65.

“Colin is really starting to find his short game,” Troy said. “That gives the team a lot of confidence when he puts together a solid round like that. Both Zack and Josh have shot rounds in the low 50s this season.

“Derek McGrath has also hit a round in the 50s, and if we can get it all working in the same match we can reach our next goal of getting our score under 220.”

“The team is excited about the chance to put another match in the win column,” Troy added. “If we continue to show improvement in our short game, we can knock a few more strokes off our game.”

The Greyhounds are scheduled to play a JV match with St. Paul on Wednesday. The match is designed to give the girls on both teams some competitive experience. The Greyhounds are led by junior captains Samantha Royka and Pruchnicki along with sophomore Mia Rotatori, last year’s NVL runner-up in the girls’ tournament.

Naugatuck will finish out the week at Oxford Greens in the Woodland Invitational on Thursday. The Greyhounds planned to go with the foursome of Sheedy, Monck, McFarland and White in the tournament.

The Greyhounds will get back to NVL play May 11 versus Watertown.