Naugy boys look to finish strong

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By Ken Morse, Citizen’s News

Watertown’s Wes Kulikauskas (13) tries to get a rebound off a save by Naugatuck’s Arthur Oliveira during a game Oct. 12 at Naugatuck High School. -JIM SHANNON/REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

NAUGATUCK — After hitting a bump in the road, the Naugy boys soccer team is looking to finish the regular season strong heading into postseason play.

The Greyhounds snapped a two-game skid Oct. 14 with a 3-0 win over Torrington. Pedro Crivella and Ahmed Aljamal each scored a goal and had an assist for Naugy. Michel Souza added a goal and Vinny Dos Santos lent an assist.

Naugy is nicked and dinged up, like most teams are this time of year, and a couple of injuries have changed the Greyhounds’ flow. It’s also presented opportunities for players to step up.

Arthur Oliveira, who made six saves in the net to record the shutout against Torrington, has stepped up to fill in for Louis Zarrella in goal.

After battling Woodland to a 2-2 tie early in the month, the Greyhounds fell to Oxford, 2-1, on Oct. 8 and Watertown, 4-2, on Oct. 12.

Souza scored the only goal for the Hounds against Oxford, and Oliveira made nine saves.

Dos Santos scored both goals against Watertown with assists from Crivella. Oliveira made five saves in the net.

The Greyhounds traveled to Southbury on Oct. 16 for an out-of-league match against Pomperaug. The Panthers scored a goal against the wind in the first half, then tacked one on in the final seconds with the wind at their backs in a 2-0 victory over the Greyhounds (7-4-1).

Oliveira, who is usually a field player, made six saves in goal.

Naugatuck’s Lucan Regalado (9) and Watertown’s Jack Geise (11) battle for the ball during a game Oct. 12 at Naugatuck High School. -JIM SHANNON/REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

“It’s been a tough year with injuries, so we’re just trying to get healthy at the right time,” Naugatuck coach Ryan Kinne told the Republican-American.

Naugatuck struggled on offense throughout the game. The Greyhounds had the wind behind them in the first half, but too often their passes in the air bounded down the turf and out of bounds.

Naugatuck changed formations at halftime to try to spark a rally, but it didn’t happen.

“We struggled to generate really anything,” Kinne said. “We had chances in the first half that we couldn’t finish, hence the final product. That’s the way it goes. We’ve struggled with that recently, and we have a lot of work to do in the next couple weeks.”

The Greyhounds are set to play Ansonia on Oct. 18 and Holy Cross on Oct. 20, before ending the regular season with home matches against Wilby on Oct. 21 and Wolcott on Oct. 27.

The NVL tournament will begin Oct. 30.

The Republican-American contributed to this article.