Warde is one of the top teams in the state to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
File photo by Jim Stout
The fall sprinted by so fast and has left us with just two weeks left in CIAC girls soccer. It's the best two weeks of the year, too, as teams in four classes will fight for state championships. Here are 10 teams to watch during the state tournament:
Warde (Fairfield) (14-2-1)The Mustangs had all this week to practice (and fume) before the CIAC Class LL tournament. They were seeded second in the FCIAC tourney and wanted to win the championship outright (they split it last season). Their hopes went awry quickly as they were bounced by Darien in the opening round after three rounds of penalty kicks, 1-0 (9-8 PKs). As if last year's double-overtime loss to Glastonbury in the LL finals (2-1) wasn't already suitable motivation for Warde. Senior goalie
Mollie Kerrigan is terrific (she was first-team all-state last year) and will help the Mustangs make another run deep in Class LL.
Glastonbury (19-0)The Tomahawks just won their second-straight Central Connecticut Conference championship. They beat Tolland in the quarterfinals (5-0). Tolland was the fourth-ranked team in this week's state coaches' Class M/S poll. Glastonbury followed with a 4-1 rout of Northwest Catholic of West Hartford in the semifinals. Northwest was No. 1 in said Class M/S poll. The Tomahawks finished the tournament by scoring three times in the first nine minutes to rout Newington, 7-0, for the title. It was just Newington's second loss. Yep — Glastonbury is exceptional (as if being honored by MaxPreps last season wasn't already a clue). The defending Class LL champions have overwhelmed opponents by a combined score of 80-5. Senior midfielder
Mara Cosentino, who scored twice in the Newington win, was an All-New England pick last season and is bound for Colgate.
Housatonic (Falls Village) (15-1)The Mountaineers came painfully close to winning their first state title last season. They took a lead into the second half of the Class S final only to fall to Portland in double overtime, 2-1. The majority of that team is back and earned Housatonic the top seed in Class S. Junior striker
Lauren Segalla leads the offense with a ridiculous 36 goals (with eight assists) and classmate
Amanda Jacquier (forward) has 16 goals and five assists. Senior co-captains
Madeline Horosky (midfielder) and
Lauren Gilderdale (defense-forward) provide leadership.
Immaculate (Danbury) (17-1-1)The Mustangs won nine Class S titles from 2003-12. Their success got them bumped up to Class L in 2013, and they won the title last season. Immaculate went unbeaten during the regular season, which included a win over New York power Byram Hills-Armonk. It was the top seed in the South-West Conference tournament but lost Thursday to New Milford, 1-0 (7-6 PKs). Woe to the Mustangs' first Class L opponent. Senior midfielder
Caitlyn Linden is a two-time all-state pick, and classmate Hailey Davis had a hat trick in a 3-2 win over Barlow-Redding in the SWC semifinals.
New Milford (14-2-3)The SWC is a pretty good girls soccer conference. The Green Wave have won the last two tournament titles. That, and a win over Immaculate, more than qualifies any team for this list. Senior goalkeeper
Colleen Lynch can shut down an opponent and was named the SWC tournament MVP. New Milford only made it as far as the Class LL second round last season before getting knocked off by Warde. It should go farther this time around.
Northwest Catholic (West Hartford) (15-2-1)The Lions are seeded third in Class M, but few teams in the field have been tested like they have. Glastonbury was the only team to beat them during the regular season, and they also have two wins over Farmington, seeded eighth in Class L. That kind of competition should serve Northwest well in the state tournament. It's allowed only four goals to teams not from Glastonbury and has a deep senior class led by
Anna Cronin (midfield),
Becca Molin (goalie) and
Mackenzie Tibball (defense).
Ridgefield (14-2-3)The Tigers wouldn't have been on this list prior to this week. They figured to be a year away and start just two seniors — midfielder
Sarah Battipaglia and forward
Morgan Hartmayer. And then the FCIAC tournament happened — the third seed stunned unbeaten St. Joseph, 2-0, to win its seventh FCIAC title and first since 1996. So, yeah, the Tigers earned their spot on this list. Juniors
Grace Franklin and
Katie Jasminski (team-high 19 goals) both scored in the St. Joseph upset, and classmate
Julia Middlebrook added 15 saves to earn MVP honors. Note that the Tigers played Warde to a 2-2 tie, and that one of their two losses was to St. Joseph (3-0, Oct. 9).
St. Joseph (Trumbull) (18-1)The Cadets left no doubt they were the best team during the FCIAC regular season. They went unbeaten, knocking off Warde and Ridgefield along the way. They mashed opponents by a combined score of 86-9. They earned the top seed in the conference tournament as well. It all made their loss to Ridgefield so shocking and should help get them get focused on winning the Class L title. Forward
Jenna Bike was last season's Gatorade State Player of the Year, and
Leah Lewis and
Lindsey Savko are a dangerous midfield duo.
Suffield (West Suffield) (16-0)Quick note about the Wildcats — they've allowed two goals this season. TWO. They used to be a Class M power, as they won five state titles from 2000-10. They're not a Class M power anymore — their success got them moved up and out of that class. Suffield will play in Class L this season and will be one of the top two seeds.
Woodland Regional (Beacon Falls) (18-0-1)The Naugatuck Valley League is not known for its girls soccer prowess. The CIAC has sanctioned girls soccer tournaments since 1980, and the NVL hasn't ever won one. The Hawks want to change that.
Jessica Rodrigues scored 58 seconds into the first overtime to give Woodland a 2-1 win over five-time defending champion Watertown this week.
Sam Plasky had the other goal,
Alexa Casimiro had an assist, and
Shae Geary earned the MVP nod for Woodland. The Hawks will be the top seed in Class M and will try to prove they're worthy of it.
