BY KEN MORSE
CITIZEN’S NEWS
The journey to an NVL championship can be tough and physical, but don’t be too surprised to see the same usual suspects battling it out for the crown.
Defending champion Woodland is in good shape, as is runner-up Holy Cross. The top two teams in the league have faced off against one another twice this season. The first game resulted in a 3-3 draw, then Woodland escaped with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 7.
There are a host of other teams vying for position in the tournament trying to stake their claim at the prize. Watertown and Wolcott lead that procession, followed by Seymour, Naugatuck, St. Paul and Ansonia. Don’t become too preoccupied with won-loss records at this point in the season because when it becomes a one-and-done scenario it’s really anyone’s game at that point.
“I tell my team all the time you can never take anything for granted,” said Woodland coach Cait Hernon. “We just got by Watertown and Wolcott both by 1-0 scores in a span of a week. When the NVL tournament starts its win or go home. There are no do-overs. We need to come out prepared and ready to play a full 80 minutes if we want to play for a league title.”
Meghan Hartnett scored a late goal to help the Hawks get past Wolcott on Oct. 14. Casey Mulligan made six saves for the clean sheet. The defense has been key and is led by Kaitlyn Leonard, Maddie Raffone, Kathleen Henriques and Abby Bunk.
Naugatuck has begun showing itself worthy of a playoff spot, earning a 6-0 win over Torrington on Oct. 14 with Lauren Sonski netting two goals and adding an assist. Layla Nemeth added a goal and an assist for the Greyhounds.
A 6-1 win over Oxford on Oct. 15 saw Charisma Gardner leading the charge with two goals. Sonski scored two goals and added an assist, with goals also coming from Hailie Ortega and Thalia Jardim. Rana Aljamal added an assist and keeper Griffin Carroll made five saves.
Naugy made it three wins in a row with a 5-2 victory over Ansonia on Oct. 17. Aubrey Deller knocked in a hat trick while Gardner and Sonski each added a goal. Carroll made 12 saves in the win.
“We are playing really well,” said Naugy coach Lisa Mariano. “We got Sophia DeFilippo and Layla Nemeth back from injury and that has been a huge help. Some of the other younger girls are beginning to make an impact scoring goals for us. We are playing with a lot more confidence. Going into the tournament we will need to play our best and limit our mistakes if we want to be successful. Anything can happen.”
Naugy took on Holy Cross on Oct. 19 and surprised the Crusaders by grabbing a halftime lead before falling, 9-4. Naugy’s lead at the half was 4-3.
It could be another battle with the top two teams in the league, but based on recent outcomes, this tournament could become a lot less predictable and a whole lot of anyone’s game.
