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Sports

PHS Scoreboard Sept. 12-18

This week featured several great performances from various Panther teams, including a resurgent football team.

Fall sports kicked off with a bang this week as most teams played their first game(s) of the season. It’s far too early to start making predictions about SWC Championships or entry into State tournaments, but several teams have put themselves into good positions early in the season. The boys and girls soccer teams played five games between them, winning four and drawing one. The football team made a massive statement of intent in an emphatic win away to Brookfield, while the girls cross country team put in an excellent performance to come in second at the 33rd annual Windham Invitational.

 

Girls Soccer

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9/13 vs. Newtown

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Final Score

Pomperaug

1

Newtown

1

The girls’ soccer team started their season with a tough matchup, at home to Newtown, and shouldn’t be too upset about a draw against a good team. Newtown opening the scoring 14 minutes into the game, Tressa Scott converting a pass from Melissa Dacinisa. The Panthers equalized just four minutes later, Julia Cipriano slotting the ball past Newtown keeper Caitlin Yakush after an incisive pass from Brianna Curcio. Pomperaug had several opportunities to score a second, but Yakush was excellent in goal for Newtown. Stephanie Alvey and Julia Tolin split keeper duty for Pomperaug and made a combined 10 saves.

9/15 @ Masuk

 

Final Score

Masuk

1

Pomperaug

2

Just two days after their season opener, the Lady Panthers soccer team earned their first win of the season. Playing away against Masuk is never an easy task, but the girls’ soccer team was excellent in their 2-1 victory. Julia Cipriano was a constant menace to the Masuk defense, and she can be happy after scoring both goals for Pomperaug; Bailey Ubaldi also notched an assist on one of the goals. Masuk refused to lie down, however, and Dana Cosmedy got her team back into the mix with a goal off a pass from Rebecca Rivera. They couldn’t get past Panthers keeper Julia Tolin, however, who recorded 14 saves.

9/17 vs. Watertown

 

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

Watertown

1

Julia Cipriano failed to score for the first time in three games, but she more than made up for it by assisting on all three Pomperaug goals in their 3-1 victory over Watertown. The Panthers continued to dominate offensively and defensively, Casey Hutchinson scoring two goals and Brianna Curcio scoring one, the season’s first for both players. Jessica Spazzano scored for Watertown, but they rarely troubled the Pomperaug defense. In goal, Julia Tolin made seven saves while Melissa Dodge made 11 for Watertown. Pomperaug’s record currently sits at 2-0-1.

 

Boys Soccer

 

9/13 @ Newtown

 

Final Score

Newtown

0

Pomperaug

1

After winning the SWC Championship last season, expectations are high for the boys’ soccer team. They lost some influential seniors, but hope that younger players can step up to fill the void. The new-look Panthers side got off to an excellent start on Tuesday evening, coming away from Newtown with a win and a shutout. Scott Grant scored the game’s only goal, and the defense smothered a talented Newtown attack. Zack Goodrich made several excellent saves to preserve Pomperaug’s lead and keep a cleansheet.

9/15 vs. Masuk

 

Final Score

Pomperaug

2

Masuk

0

Last season, Pomperaug was only able to manage a 2-2 draw with Masuk, so they should be ecstatic after an emphatic win over their conference rivals. Scott Grant scored for the second game in a row, and the Panthers will look to him a lot this season after losing top-scorer Eric Helfer to graduation. Bastian Kalashek scored Pomperaug’s other goal, with Taylor Ellsworth and Kostika Kosova getting the assists. Zack Goodrich made four saves for the Panthers and earned another shutout, while Masuk keeper Adam Rainey recorded eight saves. With the win, the Panthers record stands at 2-0.

 

Field Hockey

9/16 vs. New Milford

 

Final Score

Pomperaug

0

New Milford

2

After losing hugely-successful head coach Linda Dirga to retirement, it was inevitable there would be some growing pains for the Panthers. Jess Roach’s reign as head coach began at home to powerhouse New Milford, who swept aside a hard-working but disjointed Panthers side for a 2-0 win. The team lost several of its top players to graduation, and the lack of chemistry between the new players was evident. Pomperaug was outshot 20-5, and the New Milford defense constantly pressed the Panther players into making mistakes. With a 0-1 record, the team will look to rebound next week against Newtown.

 

Football

 

9/16 @ Brookfield

 

Final Score

Brookfield

6

Pomperaug

26

In its first game of the post-Chuck Drury era, the Pomperaug football team came out looking for revenge against Brookfield and to make a statement: they won’t be getting any softer or easier during the reign of new Head Coach, Dave Roach. The Panthers used their highly-successful “hammer” formation to pound the Bobcats defense and get in control of the game early. Matt Paolo converted a 35-yard field goal before running back Andrew Reel threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Valenti to go up 10-0. Brookfield came back to score, but Reel put the game away with two excellent touchdown runs before Paolo tacked on another three points with a 31-yard field goal. Reel lead the Panthers on offense, gaining 131 yards and two TDs on 22 carries. Pomperaug’s next game is next Friday at home to Bethel; kick-off is at 7pm.

 

Boys Cross Country

 

9/13 @ New Milford

The boys’ cross country team put in a strong performance in their first meet of the season, finishing the day 2-1; the Panthers beat Oxford and Kolbe Cathedral but lost to hosts New Milford. Troy Volanth was the team’s highest-placed runner, finishing in fifth place. The other Pomperaug runners included Jason Oemcke (10th), Evan Oemcke (11th), Jon Novitski (12th), Jackson Burzynski (13th), Adam Castle (14th), and Sam DePalma (19th). Head Coach Matthew Loiseau called his team’s performance a “solid start to the season.”

9/17 @ Windham Invitational

Competing in the Varsity 1 race at Windham High School for the 33rd Annual Windham Invitational, the boys’ cross country team finished in 8th place behind Simsbury, Norwich Free Academy, Naugatuck, Hall, Conard, Tolland, and Cheshire. The field of competitors was stronger than in their meet earlier this week, and no Pomperaug runner was able to earn a place in the top 10. The team will be hoping for a better performance next week away to Immaculate.

 

Girls Cross Country

 

9/13 @ New Milford

The girls’ cross country team faltered during their first meet of the season, ending the day a disappointing 1-2; the team beat Kolbe Cathedral but lost to Oxford and hosts New Milford. Erin Gibbons ran an excellent race, finishing in 3rd place, but the team’s next highest finisher was Gabby Holguin in 10th place. The other runners included Marina Alfonso (11th), Sarah Ollayos (13th), Sarah Qadir (19th), Keely Riel (22nd), and Ashley Ferreri (24th).

 

9/17 @ Windham Invitational

Competing in the Varsity 1 race at Windham High School for the 33rd annual Windham Invitational, the girls’ cross country team put in an excellent performance to finish in 2nd place with 131 points, behind only Norwich Free Academy. Erin Gibbons was the team’s best runner on the day, finishing in 7th place with a course time of 20:02; four seconds behind her was teammate Sara Greco, who finished in 8th place.

 

Volleyball


9/14 vs. Bunnell

 

Final Score

Pomperaug

2

Bunnell

3

The Pomperaug volleyball team lost a hard-fought matchup against the Bunnell Bulldogs on Tuesday after the teams exchanged games back and forth. A few sloppy plays and offensive miscues – to be expected this early in the season – gave Bunnell the extra points they needed to edge a close contest. Pomperaug lost the encounter two games to three, and will be disappointed after coming up short in a very winnable matchup.

 

9/15 vs. Weston

 

Final Score

Pomperaug

3

Masuk

0

Pomperaug bounced back after a tough loss to Bunnell to beat Masuk three sets to zero. Each of the three games was close, finishing 25-23, 25-23, and 25-22 in favor of the Panthers. Pomperaug made far fewer mistakes than they did against Bunnell, and did an excellent job punishing Masuk’s mistakes. The team needs to continue to develop their rhythm, but they should be happy with an excellent performance against a solid opponent. The team’s record stands at 1-1, and they are next in action on Monday against New Milford.

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