Holy Cross boys soccer entered Monday night’s NVL showdown against Naugatuck on the turf of Ray Snyder Sr. Field with a record of 8-0-2.
Late in the second half, it appeared that the Crusaders would be adding a third tie to their record. Holy Cross and Naugatuck were tied 1-1 when Ahmed Aljamal fired a shot toward goal off a loose ball in front. The ball got through Crusader keeper Aidan Nixon and went into the goal in the 77th minute, giving the visiting Greyhounds a 2-1 lead. Naugatuck went on to win by that margin and improved its record to 9-1-1. Dan Silva, one of the leading goal scorers for Holy Cross entering the game, had the lone goal for the home team. The Crusader record dropped to a still stellar 8-1-2. Nixon played his heart out in goal, and that included a big-time save on a Naugatuck point-blank flick toward the goal where only a split-second reaction would do.
Holy Cross will need to regroup quickly following the loss. They play Torrington on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. at Alumni Field on Oronoke Road. Friday brings a road game against first-time state tournament qualifier Waterbury Career Academy at 3:45 p.m. at Hamilton Park. Holy Cross is then off for a week before playing at Woodland on Oct. 25 at 3:30 p.m.
