St. Paul boys soccer senior captain Stefan Zwolinski hit the perfect shot at the perfect time on Tuesday, and it put his team into the second round of the state tournament.
Zwolinski lobbed a ball over Coventry goalkeeper Ryan Hayes and gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead over the Patriots with under five minutes to play in regulation. In a game that had plenty of rockets fired at each goal, it was Zwolinski’s lob that finally broke the scoreless tie.
Zwolinski charged down the middle of the field and got to the ball just as it rolled into the Coventry box. Zwolinski deftly lofted a shot into the air. It wasn’t a hard shot, but it was a perfect shot. The ball went into the air, fell back down, and took one hop into the net.
The game, played at Farmington Sports Arena between Class S’s No. 7 and No. 26 seeds, was devoid of rain. Officials saw a break in the weather, and the game started a little on the early side. Both teams had chances in the first half, though St. Paul held the majority. Senior captain Adam Van Linter took turns with Zwolinski and junior Luke Hines taking runs into the offensive end. Shots were taken toward the Coventry goal, but went either wide or over the goal.
That trend continued in the second half, and the game appeared destined for overtime. St. Paul had more chances to score, but couldn’t get one in, which led to frustration among the Falcons. An official called out “five minutes” left in regulation, and Zwolinski took his turn at the Coventry goal. This time, the shot went in, and St. Paul had the goal it desperately wanted. Falcon keeper Jack Noli had a clean sheet on his end.
The Falcons won the game 1-0 and celebrated with those who made the trip to FSA. Not long after the game ended, the rain started up again. If not for Zwolinski’s goal, both teams would have been playing tense overtime minutes in deteriorating conditions.
Instead, a Falcon lofted a perfect shot into the goal. St. Paul plays the winner of No. 7 Haley Ray (Moodus) and No. 26 Immaculate (Danbury) on Thursday at 2 p.m. There is a good chance the game will be at FSA on Thursday.
Look for a more extensive photo gallery later this evening.