By Sophia Esposito
The week started off by early victories from boy’s soccer, volleyball, and girl’s swim but cancellation of games and practices occurred later in the week due to the threat of EEE in Connecticut.
Boy’s Soccer vs. Amistad (6-0 W): To start off the week on the 23rd the boy’s shut out the Amistad’s soccer team for what was their second home game victory. The game started out slow but eventually picked up when the first goal was scored by Sebastian Verdesoto, assisted by Ralph Ciarleglio.
Opening the gates for Branford, Andrew Wirtz, Ciarleglio, and S. Verdesoto all scored the next three goals within ten minutes. Early in the second half S. Verdesoto scored once again, shooting the ball, bouncing off the Amistad keeper’s back and into the goal to give the Hornets a 5-0 advance, all assisted by James Verdesoto. For the final goal of the game, Matt Cordero scored assisted by tri-captain Cody Mccarns, to finish the game with a score of 6-0.
Volleyball vs. Cross (W): To contribute to the early week Hornet victories, the girl’s volleyball team competed in a close set of matches that resulted in a victorious swarm of Hornets.
In the first set Branford jumped to an early lead. In the beginning of the second set the Hornets competed closely with Cross, going back and forth scoring points. But, at around midpoint the Hornets pulled ahead to take the second win. Tough serves by Branford contributed to their win.
Essential players who aided Branford to victory were junior Mia Parise, senior Katie Elmasry, and senior Celia Turbert.
Girl’s Swim vs. Guilford (89-85 W): On Tuesday the 24th the girl’s swim team kept the Hornet victories rolling in an extremely close meet against the Indians. It was a battle of friends amongst the two teams, having trained together in past seasons in addition to doing summer workouts with one another. Knowing one another’s strengths and weaknesses, Branford had to compose a killer lineup that would produce victory.
The first half of the meet was swam very close, but diver Marina Giammattei pulled Branford ahead with a lifetime best score, earning Branford six points. Many close swims came within seconds of one another, having great swims by Erika Barone and Jen Antell, succeeding under pressure. Antell had best times in the 500 Free and 200 I.M., touching out opponents for points essential for the Hornet victory.
Branford continues to produce many best times from junior Shae Lepre, sophomore Mareyna Mccaughtry, senior Ellie Bartlett, and freshman Emma Hall.
Cross Country @ Cheshire Park: The cross country team took the road to run at Cheshire Park, competing against numerous teams; Cheshire, Sheehan and East Haven. After conquering a tough course and awful hill, also known as “Agony Hill,” Branford’s Isla Lionetti placed 6th, followed by freshman Hannah Jackson in 7th.
There were also great runs by Steph Toste who crossed the finish line for 15th place, and Juli Dillon in 18th. The girls now have a two week period of training to prepare for senior day and the SCC championship meet.
For the boy’s course, senior Nolan Scott placed first followed by sophomore Patrick Zdunek.
Girl’s Soccer vs. Lauralton Hall (5-4 L): Lauralton Hall started off strong, starting the game 3-0 in the beginning of the first half. At the end of the first half, the girl’s were able to close in on the score, making it 3-2.
Alayna Boileau scored the first goal for Branford assisted by Rose Lockery followed by the second goal scored by Kendall Fantino.
In the second half Lauralton Hall came back harder scoring another goal, expanding their lead to 4-2. Boileau scored the third goal assisted by Nicole Evans and Melanie Sachs scored the fourth goal to tie the game. The goal was assisted by Sydney Panczak with a free kick assist.
Unfortunately, in the last three minutes of the game Lauralton scored to put themselves out on top of Branford. Yet, Branford was able to stick right there with Lauralton, a tough competitor for a majority of the game.
Field Hockey vs. North Haven (9-0 W): Branford played a great game over North Haven, shutting them out without giving a chance to put themselves on the board.
All of the girls played a great game to ensure a win for the Hornets. Nora Longway started off the game of continuous scoring by scoring the first goal within the first minutes of the game. Also scoring was Molly Zaffino, Scout Engstrom, Madison Acquarulo, and Lauren Kendrick. Karly King, Acquarulo and Zaffino all also had assists to aid the victory.
Boy’s Soccer vs. Cross(2-1 L): In a very back and forth game amongst Branford and Cross, it ultimately resulted in a very tough loss for the boys. Ciarleglio scored the only goal for Branford which was assisted by S. Verdesoto.
Wirtz, Ciarleglio, Tahj Sutherland, and Dimitrios Gionteris all had key contributions to the game that avoided a greater loss, having good passes, possession of the ball and communication.
Field Hockey vs. Guilford (9-0 L): In a tough lost for Branford, two underclassmen prevailed throughout the game fighting throughout the entirety of it to show the perseverance of the Hornets.
Sophomore Nina Shamas, the junior varsity goalie was unexpectedly put into the game yet played her hardest and best even with little experience for varsity. Freshman Gianna Bozzi was also thrown into the game with no warning, exhibiting determination for the Hornets.
Despite the loss, the team raised money for Ben Callahan, it being their Ben Callahan game in honor of him, through a bake sale and donations.
Their next game is against Sheehan on Tuesday, the first of October.
Girl’s Swim vs. Jonathon Law (94-87 L): The girl’s swim team took an upsetting loss against Law, defeating their 3-0 record starting off the season. Despite the outcome, the meet had many close races with multiple swimmers beating one another out in fractions of a second and many best times from Branford.
Melissa Juliano, Gabby Gillis, Erika Barone, Rory Jacobson, and Adrienne Dillon all continue to perform strong swims for the Hornets, being relied on to swim four events in close meets.
The girls continue to train hard and get best times throughout the meets. Many girls dropped time and resulted in lifetime bests such as Shae Lepre, Emma Hall, and Sydney Baker.
Volleyball vs. Amity (3-0L): Branford took on a tough competitor on Friday resulting in defeat. Amity won with tough serving which kept Branford out of system for most of the first two sets.
There was great defense by Marzia Johnson who had 14 digs to keep Branford in it. Paige Kelly had good hitting with uplifting energy contributed by Celia Turbert.
The girls are now 1-4 and will compete against Lyman Hall on Monday, the 30th of September.
Boy’s Soccer vs. Shelton (2-0 L): On Saturday the boys took on a mostly evenly played game, but Shelton came out victorious over Branford with two amazingly scored goals.
Many great scoring opportunities were presented to Branford yet the keeper for Shelton was able to prevail against the benefit for the Hornets. Wirtz and Ciarleglio had great shots along with Alec Aceves-Acosta who had great saves in the goal to keep Branford in the game.
In the first half S. Verdesoto had a great shot that hit the post after being passed from Wirtz across the six yard box. Wirtz also had a great shot himself, hitting the bar from just outside the box.
The boy’s next game is away at Amity on October 1st.
Girl’s Soccer vs Sheehan (4-2 L): In a loss for Branford the girls still showed their talent and capability throughout the game. In the first half Sachs scored the first goal off of Boileau’s free kick that hit off the post. Sachs kicked the ball into the goal to begin Branford’s scoring.
In the second half Rose Lockery scored Branford’s second and final goal which was assisted by Boileau.
The two teams scored their goals very back and forth, yet it ended with Sheehan scoring twice in the second half, their last goal scored off of a penalty kick.
The girls take on their rivals East Haven on the turf on the first of October.
Football vs. New Fairfield(38-22 L): On the road, the Hornets took a defeat against New Fairfield. Despite the loss, the Hornets ran a close game throughout the entirety of it. Aiden MacNeil, Sean Kelly and Cam Mills each scored one of the three touchdowns, keeping Branford in the game.
The boys take on Bethel, away, on Friday, the 18th of October.
