Word From the Woods Sept. 16-22

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Girls’ Soccer

After a somewhat disappointing tie with Ansonia to kick off the season last week, Woodland has obliterated its last two foes. Last Thursday, the Hawks steamrolled Sacred Heart, 8-0, to notch their first win of the season. Freshman Stephanie Dumond posted a hat trick to lead the Woodland attack, while freshman Keri DeBiase, sophomore Riley Shaw, and junior Raven Palmerie added a goal and an assist apiece. Sophomore Alaina Nedderman and senior Katie Reilly also found the net for the Hawks, and freshman Alma Rizvani made two saves. The offensive outburst continued Tuesday with a 7-0 demolishing of Derby. Dumond, Shaw, and Nedderman each scored twice more. Palmerie knocked in the other goal for Woodland, which now sports a 2-0-1 mark.

Cross Country

In the season-opening meet Tuesday, the Woodland boys earned a 15-45 win over Kennedy but lost to Wolcott, 24-31, while the girls swept the meet in their first step toward defending their Naugatuck Valley League crown. The boys’ top finisher was senior Tyler Murphy, clocking in at 17:38. Murphy was followed by two teammates, junior Ryan Mariotti (17:44) and sophomore Kyle Cranney (17:52). The girls continued where they left off last year, placing four runners in the top ten. Senior Brittany Albright placed first overall with a time of 19:55, followed by junior Crystal Steinfeld (second in 20:03), sophomore Melissa Kiley (fourth in 21:02), and senior Sarah Melville (10th in 24:02). The strong showing allowed the Hawks to beat Kennedy, 19-38, and Wolcott, 24-31.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

Woodland remained undefeated last Friday with a narrow, 99-87 victory over Holy Cross in Waterbury. Race winners for the Hawks included sophomore Katie-Jean Hinckley (200 free, 2:06.68), senior Jill Pagoni (50 free, 27.59; 100 free, 59.72), senior Alyssa Maggiore (100 back, 1:12.11), and the 400 free relay team of Hinckley, Maggiore, freshman Sydney Corneau, and junior Amanda Gagne, finishing with a time of 4:22.79. The Hawks are 2-0 and host two home meets this week: Friday against Torrington, and Wednesday against East Haven.