Quentin Outlaw, seen here during last year’s state tournament game at Nonnewaug, had one of Wolcott’s
goals in a big 3-2 NVL quarterfinal win over Holy Cross on Saturday. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, 2022 file)
The Holy Cross boys soccer team has spent time hanging out around the top of the Naugatuck Valley League this fall. They were even ranked 10th in the latest Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association Class M/S poll.
The Crusaders were the top seed entering the NVL tournament, and they were the runner-up to Oxford in last year’s competition. None of that seemed to matter to eighth-seeded Wolcott, which had to beat Seymour in the regular season finale to get into the NVL tournament.
The Eagles shocked the Crusaders, 3-2, in a Saturday afternoon quarterfinal at CFC Park in Bethany. Next up for Wolcott is a semifinal against fifth-seeded Watertown, which knocked out defending champion Oxford, the No. 4 seed, 3-2. That game is Monday at 5 p.m. at Municipal Stadium’s Ray Snyder Sr. Field.
Justin Cardinale, Tyson Brenes and Quentin Outlaw scored for the Eagles. Brenes also had an assist, and Sam Berninger made four saves. Tyler Paniagua and Landon Coelho scored goals for the Crusaders, who lost to a league foe for the first time this season.
In another boys quarterfinal, third-seeded St. Paul downed sixth-seeded Woodland, 1-0, at McPhee Field on a goal by James Naples off a John Salgado assist. Tyson Raymond had five saves for the Falcons, who play second-seeded Naugatuck on Monday night at 7:30 at Snyder Field.
ALL-LEAGUE: St. Paul – Naples (All-NVL), Wyatt Byrne (All-NVL), Nick Rieger (All-Iron), Anthony Gagliardi (All-Iron); Holy Cross – Coelho (All-NVL, outstanding senior), Marshall Melita (All-NVL), Eli Simoes (All-NVL), Aiden Peterson (All-Brass), Eli Wall (All-Brass); Wolcott – Cardinale (All-NVL), Sam Berninger (All-Iron), Outlaw (All-Iron); Crosby – Tristan Vincent (All-Brass), Amani Bien-Aime (All-Brass); Kennedy – Patrick Pineda-Zegarra (All-Brass), Cristiano Oliveira (All-Brass); WCA – Silas Creaven (All-NVL), Xavier Duarte (All-Brass); Wilby – Alejandro Calle (All-Brass).
GIRLS SOCCER
Locals matched up against each other when second-seeded Holy Cross played seventh-seeded St. Paul at CFC Park. The Falcons got on the board first when Emily Walker scored, but it was the Kaitlyn Alagno Show afterward.
Alagno had a hat trick and Mackenzie Pierce also found the net for the Crusaders in their 4-1 victory. Grace D’Amico had three assists and Rachel Healey made six saves for Holy Cross, which plays third-seeded Watertown, a 7-2 winner over sixth-seeded Oxford, on Monday night at 7:30 in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader at Wolcott’s Joe Monroe Field. Stella Boucno made two saves for St. Paul.
Fifth-seeded Wolcott fell to fourth-seeded Ansonia, 3-1, at Chargers Field in Ansonia. Michaela McGillicuddy made 16 saves for the Eagles, who got their lone goal from Becca Wood. Ansonia faces top-seeded Woodland, a 5-1 winner over eighth-seeded Seymour, in Monday’s first semifinal at 5 p.m.
ALL-LEAGUE: Holy Cross – Alagno (All-NVL), D’Amico (All-NVL), Maddie Neibel (All-Copper), Victoria Rosado (All-Copper); St. Paul – Walker (All-NVL), Jocelyn Kennedy (All-Iron), Rose Wells (All-Iron); Wolcott – Julia Loughman (All-NVL), Analise Pilarski (All-NVL), Wood (All-Iron).
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
No. 3 Holy Cross pushed into the semifinal round with a 3-0 win over No. 6 WCA on Saturday. Sarah Medeiros (13 kills, 6 digs), Antonia Leary (9 kills) and Isabella Oliver (26 assists) led the way for the Crusaders. Kendra Cameron (16 kills), Malene Ramos (6 kills, 2 aces) and Skylynn Chao (17 assists) paced the Spartans. Holy Cross plays second-seeded Woodland, a 3-0 winner over seventh-seeded Wolcott, in Monday’s first semifinal at 5 p.m. at Naugatuck High School. Sam Dean (7 digs, 2 kills) and Kayla Page (4 kills, 2 digs) were the top performers for the Eagles.
Fifth-seeded St. Paul was swept by fourth-seeded Naugatuck, 3-0. Renee Singleton (7 kills, 7 digs), Anna Kronen (8 digs) and Isabella McCulloch (18 assists) led the Falcons. The Greyhounds take on top-seeded and undefeated Seymour, which swept eighth-seeded Kennedy, 3-0.
ALL-LEAGUE: Holy Cross – Medeiros (All-NVL, outstanding senior), Leary (All-Brass), Oliver (All-Brass); WCA – Cameron (All-NVL), Malene Ramos (All-Brass); Wolcott – Sage Thornton (All-NVL), Dean (All-Iron); St. Paul – Rebecca Kelly (All-NVL), Singleton (All-Iron), Rylie Sima (All-Iron); Crosby – Jamine Pena (All-Brass); Kennedy – Madelyn Kieras (All-Brass), Meaghan Valera (All-Brass); Wilby – Jazmin Boga (All-Brass).
