BY KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
When it comes to the Class S swimming and diving championship, the team to beat is Weston.
The Trojans have won four straight ‘S’ championships and six of the last seven. No local team will likely challenge Weston for the team title today, but there are a bunch of local individuals and relays who could make some noise. The meet starts at 6 p.m. at Southern Connecticut State University’s Hutchinson Natatorium.
Holy Cross senior Madelynn Mowad is the top seed in the 200-yard IM and third in the 100 breaststroke. Woodland senior Dia Gawronski is seeded second in the 200 freestyle, third in the 100 butterfly, and is part of two high-seeded Hawk relays, the 200 and 400 freestyle events. Seymour junior Sierra Cripps and sophomore Anna Mrozik are second and third in the 50 freestyle, and they’re followed by Woodland senior Brooke Pope in fifth. Cripps is also second in the 100 butterfly. Torrington freshman Julia McCarthy is third in the 200 freestyle behind Gawronski, and she is also third in the 100 backstroke. Seymour freshman Olivia Velleco is fourth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100 breaststroke. Pope is fourth in the 100 freestyle, followed by Tricarico in fifth and Mrozik in sixth. Oxford senior Emily Darroch is seeded fourth in the 500 freestyle, followed by Seymour freshman Kaitlyn McCluskey in sixth.
Seymour’s 200 medley relay is second, and it’s the team of Hannah Tricarico, Olivia Velleco, Sierra Cripps and Anna Mrozik.
Woodland has the top-seeded team in the 200 freestyle relay, and it consists of Gawronski, sophomore Alexandra Rojcov, sophomore Camille Terrell and Pope. Oxford’s is fourth with senior Natalie Hinton, freshman Audrey Ray, senior Alexis Freel and Darroch.
Seymour has the top team in the 400 freestyle relay, and its swimmers are Cripps, Mrozik, Tricarico and Velleco. Woodland is seeded second with Gawronski, sophomore Casey Brooks, senior Kyla Drewry and Pope. Oxford is seeded fourth with a team of Hinton, senior Casey Marshall, junior Olivia Potter and Darroch.

BY KYLE BRENNAN
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Seymour High volleyball coach Cathy Federowicz doesn’t remember fondly her team’s match earlier this season against Class M rival East Haven.
“I watched some of the tape and we didn’t play any offense,” Federowicz said of the Wildcats’ 3-0 loss to the Yellowjackets on Sept. 28. “They beat up on us pretty bad.”
But when No. 3 Seymour (21-2) faces No. 7 East Haven (20-5) in the Class M state tournament semifinals tonight at 7 at Jonathan Law in Milford, the Wildcats don’t foresee the same script unfolding.
“I think it’s going to be different because we definitely grew as a team,” senior hitter Molly Kennedy said. “At the beginning of the season we were really young and shaky. The sophomores have stepped up. We’re together as a team.”
Seymour, the defending Class M champion, withstood a shaky first half of the season after graduating nearly its entire lineup from a year ago. The Wildcats broke in a new rotation, which includes Kennedy, a transfer from Naugatuck, and had to deal with the season-ending injury of starter Caty Ragaini.
Since that 3-0 pasting by the Yellowjackets, Seymour hasn’t lost. The ‘Cats ride a 15-match winning streak into tonight’s semifinal, spurred by the ferocious attack by Kennedy and strong support around her.
Kennedy, the Naugatuck Valley League tournament MVP, tallied a match-high 18 kills in Seymour’s 3-0 quarterfinal win over Nonnewaug on Friday. Junior Alyssa Cosciello facilitated the offense with 32 assists, sophomores Kolby Sirowich and Faith Rousseau combined for 13 kills, and senior libero Kaitlyn Esposito posted 16 digs.
Also in the Wildcats’ rotation are sophomore Victoria Sampiere and freshman Jacey Cosciello.
“It can’t just be one or two kids,” Federowicz said. “You have to do your job, whether it’s to serve or cover on block defense or put a third ball over that you normally wouldn’t put over. At this level, you know where the weaknesses are. All these teams have been scouted and they know who they want to pick on. If they pick on those players and are successful, they’re going to win. If everyone on your team is playing at their highest level, that’s all you can ask for.”
Kennedy must be at her best against East Haven, which advanced with a 3-1 win over Torrington in Friday’s quarterfinals. The Yellowjackets feature a potent attacking combination of Kylie Schlottman and Summer Onorato, who combined for 21 kills during the regular-season matchup.
It’s the first time Kennedy will appear in a state semifinal in any sport, and she said she put her nerves behind her with the quarterfinal victory.
“I’ve never been in this type of situation,” Kennedy said. “It’s different. The energy is different. I like it.”
The winner will advance to Saturday’s state final at East Haven against No. 1 St. Joseph or No. 4 Haddam-Killingworth.
“I think this one will be a much tougher competition (than the regular-season meeting),” Federowicz said. “I think whoever’s going to win is the team that will play more offense and is consistent. If we play offense, I think we’re going to give them a match.”

BY KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Cheshire girls swimming and diving had a terrific run through the Southern Connecticut Conference this season, and now its time to take on the best of the best from Class L.
The Class L meet starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Wesleyan University’s Freeman Athletic Center. The defending champion is Darien, a moniker it has held for the last six years. For the previous five years, it was Darien first and New Canaan second.
Cheshire crashed the party and finished second last year with 666.5 points. Darien won the meet with 729.5 points.
“We’re going to be right in the thick of hit,” Ram head coach Dan Mascolo said of this year’s meet. “It’s going to be a three-way race between us, Darien and New Canaan.”
Cheshire has the top two 200-yard freestyle qualifiers in Alexandra Tyler and Julia Stevens. Esther Han is also in the fast heat. Liz Boyer had the best time in the 200 IM, and she was one of four Cheshire swimmers to crack the top heat. The other three are Samantha Grenon (third), sophomore Jillian Stevens (seventh) and Gabriella Tejeda (eighth).
Sophie Murphy had the top qualifying time in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Julia Stevens had the top time in the 500 freestyle, and she is joined in the fast heat by Han and Grace Pettit. Tyler claimed the top time in the 100 backstroke, and Julia Stevens is also in the fast heat. Boyer swam the top time in the 100 breaststroke, and she’s joined in the first heat by Elli Haskes and Emma Glover.
In relays, the 200 medley is seeded second with a team of Jillian Stevens, Boyer, Mary Barto and Shannon Lindsey. The 200 freestyle relay is seeded sixth and consists of Caitlin Mary Caron, Tori Newton, Jordyn Deubel and Grenon. The 400 freestyle relay is fifth, and its swimmers are Haskes, Caron, Grenon and Deubel.
Depth is a huge key in the Class L meet.
“I think depth is the name of the game in Class L this year,” Mascolo said. “The team that has the strongest second, third and fourth swimmers will give itself the best chance to win. We’re really excited to be in the middle of it.”
Darien has three swimmers in the fast heat of the 50 freestyle, two in the 100 butterfly, two in the 100 freestyle, two in the 100 backstroke and two in the 100 breaststroke. The Blue Wave are the top seed in two of the three relays.
New Canaan has three swimmers in the fast heat of the 200 freestyle and two in the 100 breaststroke.
“I think it’s going to be a very exciting night,” Mascolo said.

YAN SILVA
Naugatuck boys soccer
Nickname: Yanni
Class: Senior
Jersey number: 10
Twitter: y_silva8
His week: 2 assists in win vs. East Hartford; solid defense in win vs. Wilbur Cross.

Q&A
Funniest sports moment: Pasta parties.
Worst sports injury: Concussion freshman year, getting five staples.
Pre-game: Praying before huddling up.
Dream college: University of New Haven.
Career ambition: Become a police officer.
Biggest fear: Snakes.
Principal for a day: No school.
10 years from now: Be a cop.
Most overused phrase: Ya know.
Describe yourself in one word: Grateful.
Foreign country you’d most like to visit: England.
Go-to karaoke song: Don’t Stop Believing, by Journey.
Cellphone brand: Apple.
Beef, chicken or fish: Beef.
Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts?: Dunkin’ Donuts.
Shoutout: To my family, coaches, teammates and friends who have supported me.

FAVORITES
Opposing player: Jean Viruet (Seymour).
Sports team: Chelsea FC.
Concert: The Weeknd.
Athlete: Ricardo Kaka.
TV show: Arrow.
Movie: Furious 7.
Song: Rockstar.
Animal: Dog.
App: Instagram.
Sporting event: Soccer games.
Meal: Steak and mashed potatoes.
Restaurant: Texas Roadhouse.
Pizza topping: Bacon.
Dessert: Mousse.
Junk food: Salt and vinegar chips.
Car: Subaru WRX.
Childhood memory: Breaking my arm on Christmas Eve when I was 6 years old.
Video game: FIFA.
Sports memory: Playing alongside my brother my freshman year.
Quote: Check your shoulder.
Vacation spot: Florida.
Ice cream flavor: Cookie Dough.
Breakfast: Eggs with bacon and home fries.

ELENA PIRAN
Cheshire girls volleyball
Nickname: Ele
Class: Junior
Jersey number: 5
Instagram: Elena Piran
Her week: 13 digs, 10 kills in 3-1 win vs. Stamford; 13 kills, 8 digs in win vs. Glastonbury.

Q&A
Funniest sports moment: When, at the end of a formal team dinner, we tried to play in heels … almost killed myself, but it was definitely worth it.
Worst sports injury: Never had one (luckily).
Superstition: Before games, I always put the left shoe on first!
Dream college: I haven’t started to think about college yet. I don’t even know if I want to enter university in Italy or in the USA (I’m an exchange student from Italy).
Career ambition: Probably high school science teacher.
Celebrity sighting: I met a famous Italian rapper after his concert in my city.
Biggest wish: To complete my 100 things to do before I die list.
Biggest fear: To lose the people I love, such as my family and friends.
Principal for a day: I would organize a day where students can take the place of teachers. They could decide what to teach and everyone would be able to attend the class they want.
Pet peeve: People touching my hair with dirty hands … ugh, disgusting.
Describe yourself in one word: Rebel.
Deserted island necessities: Netflix, Wi-Fi connection and laptop.
Foreign country you’d most like to visit: India.
Family athletic background: My dad played basketball in high school, but that’s it… I don’t have really sporty parents.
Cellphone brand: Apple.
Beef, chicken or fish?: You forgot bacon.
Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts?: Starbucks.

FAVORITES
Opposing player: I can’t really choose cause I haven’t seen any athlete enough times to judge them.
Class subject: Biology.
City: Milan.
Celebrity: Beyonce.
Actor: Dylan O’Brien.
Concert: Holi (Festival of Colors. It’s hosted by my city in Italy every summer).
TV show: Big Bang Theory.
Movie: Oblivion.
Book: Beauty (Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld).
Song: Carry You Home, by Zara Larsson.
Animal: Snake.
App: Instagram.
Website: darwinawards.com.
Music artist: Nitro (Italian rapper).
Meal: Breakfast.
Store: Forever 21.
Restaurant: I’m more a fast food type of person.
Dessert: Ice cream.
Junk food: Fries.
Car: Tesla model S.
Childhood memory: First time I went to an amusement park with my family.
Video game: Destiny.
Music genre: Rap.
Quote: You never fail until you stop trying.
Ice cream flavor: Pineapple.
Breakfast: Pancakes, syrup.

The Holy Cross girls soccer team beat East Hampton, 2-1, in the Class S semifinals Tuesday night to advance to the state championship game for just the fourth time in school history. The Crusaders have never won a state soccer title.

Cross will face No. 1 seed and undefeated Old Lyme in the final. Old Lyme defeated St. Paul, 4-2, in a Tuesday semifinal.

CIAC TOURNAMENTS
BOYS SOCCER
Class M semifinals
at Willow Brook, New Britain
Lewis Mills vs. Ellington, 6
GIRLS SOCCER
Class LL semifinals
at Fairfield Ludlowe
Darien vs. Staples, 6:30
at Municipal, Waterbury
Ridgefield vs. Glastonbury, 6:30
Class L semifinals
at West Haven
Daniel Hand vs. St. Joseph, 6:30
at Falcon Field, Meriden
RHAM vs. East Lyme, 6:30
GIRLS SWIMMING
Class L finals at Wesleyan, 7
Class M finals at SCSU, 6
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Class LL semifinals
at Naugatuck
Cheshire vs. Amity, 6
at Bunnell
Southington vs. Greenwich, 6
Class L semifinals
at Middletown
RHAM vs. Guilford, 6
at Newington
Woodstock vs. Joel Barlow, 6

BY KYLE BRENNAN
Republican-American
MILFORD — All night long in the Class M state volleyball semifinal at Jonathan Law High, Seymour spent its time coming from behind. But in the end, it was an East Haven rally that made the difference in a wild match.
The No. 7-seeded Yellowjackets surrendered a 2-0 lead, but won the final five points of the decisive fifth game to beat the No. 3 Wildcats, 3-2, and advance to the Class M finals.
Game scores were 25-13, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25 and 15-12.
East Haven (21-5) will face No. 1 St. Joseph (24-2) for the Class M championship Saturday on the Yellowjackets’ home floor.
Seymour (21-3) led for most of the fifth game, opening up an 11-8 lead on a block by Kolby Sirowich and a 12-10 advantage on a kill by Faith Rousseau.
But Rousseau’s kill turned out to be the Wildcats’ last point. East Haven’s Kylie Schlottman started the comeback with a spike, the Yellowjackets evened up the score on a Seymour error and East Haven pulled ahead on a block by Julia SanGiovanni.
Schlottman ended the match with a kill that landed just in front of Sirowich.
“Oh, my God. I was trying not to feel nervous, but that was a pretty big game,” Schlottman said. “There were some nerves on that last point.”
Seymour dug itself a hole with a sloppy first game that allowed East Haven countless opportunities at clean kills.
The Wildcats rounded into shape for most of the second as Rousseau emerged as the hot hitter, but they squandered leads of 17-13 and 23-22. SanGiovanni ended the game with back-to-back blocks.
“(In) game one, we were serving pretty soft, not really hitting spots,” Seymour coach Cathy Federowicz said. “We were letting them control the net. (In) game two, we settled down. Really would have liked to take game two. We fell apart at the end. We just weren’t able to put those last couple of points on the board.”
Seymour opened up a 19-12 lead in the third and saw that nearly evaporate before Rousseau took over. She pounded kills to account for four of Seymour’s last five points of the game, including the game-winner, to force the match to a fourth game.
She added four more kills and a block as the Wildcats cruised in the fourth. Rousseau finished with a team-high 21 kills, while Molly Kennedy, who finished the fourth game with a spike, tallied 14 kills.
“(Rousseau is) put into a tough role, to be that No. 2 hitter behind Molly,” Federowicz said. “I felt bad toward the end because she missed a couple, but she made so many throughout the match. She really kept us in the match the whole time.”
Kaitlyn Esposito recorded 23 digs and Alyssa Cosciello dished out 38 assists for the Wildcats, the Naugatuck Valley League champions who appeared in their fourth straight state semifinal a season after winning the tournament.
“It’s a credit to their work ethic,” Federowicz said. “They worked really, really hard. We’re just a blue-collar team that comes out here and tries to do our best. We’re not blessed with a ton of height, but we’re scrappy. We had a great season.”

By JOE PALLADINO

MIDDLETOWN — They call it the beautiful game. It can be. But Tuesday night at Middletown High’s Rosek-Skubel Field, it was a cruel game too.

For the third time in four seasons the Lewis Mills girls soccer team saw their quest to play in a state title game halted in the semifinal round. No. 20 Berlin High knocked out the top-seeded Spartans in a penalty shootout, 2-1, 3-1 on kicks.

Mills ends the season at 18-1-0, but that one is a painful one.

“We just wanted to finish our business before we had to leave,” said Mills senior Chloe Waldron. “We didn’t get the job done on our PKs, obviously. We had a lot of opportunities and we didn’t capitalize on them.”

The chances were there for Mills, but it was Berlin on the board first, in the 53rd minute, when Lexi Kavarsky flipped a shot up and over Mills keeper Lauren McCard for a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the numbers got small on the clock, but Mills tied it in the 75th minute thanks to a pair of freshman. The pass was by Victoria Fleming in the middle of the field, a Berlin defender fanned on a clear, and the ball rolled on to Grace Buchanan cutting in off the left wing. She snapped a right-footed shot low and inside the far post and Mills had come all the way back to tie the score, 1-1, force overtime, and then a penalty shootout.

Berlin sparkled here, as keeper Lindsay Walsh mades saves on the first three Mills shooters, Morgan Sokol, Waldron, and Hannah Anderson. Fleming did keep Mills alive in PKs when she connected, but Berlin (12-8) received three PK goals, the clincher from Julia Sisti.

It was 3-1 PKs, and the Mills dream died hard once again in the semis.

“We didn’t lose,” said Mills coach Jared Sheikh. “They outshot us in PKs, and I guess you could argue that we lost the game, but the reality of it is that we were 18-1, and in those 18 games we were down a handful of times, and we clawed back, including tonight. That’s the takeaway. We’ve got a tough group of girls who never gave up until the end.”

Waldron, through the tears, echoed her coach.

“Mills doesn’t give up,” she said. “We never give up. I am happy to say that I am leaving with a bunch of talent behind me. They will be the same strong Mills team next year. We won’t give up, and one year we will go back to the final.”

Class M girls semifinal

No. 20 BERLIN 2, No. 1 LEWIS MILLS 1 (3-1 on PKs)

Goals: LM — Grace Buchanan 1 (PK Victoria Fleming), B — Lexi Kavarsky 1 (PK Ashley Wenzel, Alana Garofalo, Julia Sisti). Assists: LM — Fleming 1, B — Maxine Muscatello. Saves: LM — Lauren McCard 5 (1 in PK), B — Lindsay Walsh 12 (3 in PK). Records: LM — 18-1-0, B — 12-8.

BY KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
NEW HAVEN — It was great night for the NVL girls swimming Tuesday at the Class S finals at Southern Connecticut State University.
Seniors Dia Gawronski of Woodland and Madelynn Mowad of Holy Cross claimed individual gold medals. In terms of team finishes, Seymour had its best in the history of the school, girls or boys. No one was going to catch Weston as it claimed its fifth straight team championship, but the Wildcats celebrated like they won a state title.
Weston finished with 808 points. Seymour was second with 475, and it had company in Woodland (5th, 347.5) and Oxford (6th, 340).
It was a solid night for Woodland, but none had a better one than Gawronski. She won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.20, then took the 100 butterfly in 56.85.
“I’m really proud, and it just shows all of the work I put in,” Gawronski said.
She had motivation after finishing second in Class S as a junior in the same events. The 200 freestyle is a step out of the comfort zone for Gawronski, normally a member of the 200 medley relay.
“It was a little scarier because I didn’t know what to expect,” Gawronski said.
To combat that, Gawronski just went out and swam the best she could. In the 100 freestyle, Gawronski didn’t come on until the end.
“I really didn’t have it until the last 10 yards,” Gawronski said.
Gawronski was also part of a pair of Woodland relays, the 200 and 400 freestyle.
Mowad also had motivation after finishing second in the 200 IM in 2016. On Tuesday, Mowad touched the board first in the 200 IM in 2:07.05.
“It feels so good, especially because I haven’t swam in this pool since I was a freshman,” Mowad said.
Mowad won the ‘B’ final, or second fastest heat in her race as a freshman. She thought that would be her most exciting moment. The Fairfield-bound swimmer now has a state championship as the top moment.
Motivation was a familiar theme throughout for NVL teams. Seymour was down after finishing second by 11 points to Woodland in the NVL title meet. The Wildcats were also annoyed about losing their grip on second place and finishing third to East Catholic in 2016. Combine those two factors with some fantastic swimmers, and you have a recipe for the best state finish in Seymour swimming, ever.
“The kids swam incredible,” Wildcat head coach Missy Orosz said.
Weston wasn’t the goal for Seymour. Instead, the Wildcats went after second place, and they got it.
“We’re the best of the rest tonight,” Orosz said.
Seymour got second-place finishes from Sierra Cripps (50 free, 100 free), a third-place finish from Anna Mrozik (50 free), and fourth-place finishes from Olivia Velleco (200 IM) and Hannah Tricarico (100 free). Two of the three Wildcat relays finished second. The 200 medley was made up of Tricarico, Velleco, Cripps and Mrozik. The 400 freestyle went Cripps, Mrozik, Tricarico and Velleco.
For Woodland, Brooke Pope had two eighth-place finishes. The Hawks took second place in the 200 freestyle relay with Gawronski, Alexandra Rojcov, Camille Terrell and Pope. The 400 freestyle was third with Gawronski, Casey Brooks, Kyla Drewry and Pope.
For Oxford, Emily Darroch placed fourth in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 IM. Torrington freshman Julia McCarthy took third in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Sacred Heart had a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay.

CLASS S SWIM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tuesday at Southern Connecticut State University
Team results: 1. Weston 808; 2. Seymour 475; 3. Jonathan Law 383; 4. East Catholic 373; 5. Woodland 347.5; 6. Oxford 340; 7. Waterford 303; 8. Berlin 243; 9. New Fairfield 232; 10. Ledyard 184; 11. Hadd-Kill 171; 12. Sacred Heart 168; 13. St. Joseph 139.5; 14. Plainville 134; 15. Rocky Hill 132; 16. Torrington 110; 17. Suffield 107; 18. Lyman-Wind-PH 90; 19. Old Saybrook 81; 20. Holy Cross 73; 21. Sheehan 69; 22. Stonington 47; 22. St. Paul 47; 24. Westbrook 46; 25. Cromwell 36; 26. Bolton 27; 27. Morgan 20; 28. Portland 12; 29. St. Bernard 5.
Individual results (winner, top 8 locals)
200 medley relay: 1. Weston (Alexa Pappas, Isabella Gary, Charlotte Proceller, Katherine Linell), 1:47.40; 2. Seymour, 1:52.83; 3. East Catholic, 1:58.77; 7. Oxford, 2:02.69; 8. Berlin, 2:02.73.
200 freestyle: 1. Dia Gawronski, Woodland, 1:54.20; 3. Julia McCarthy, Torrington, 1:59.40; 7. Natalie Hinton, Oxford, 2:02.99; 8.
200 IM: 1. Madelynn Mowad, Holy Cross, 2:07.05; 4. Olivia Velleco, Seymour, 2:14.27; 5. Emily Darroch, Oxford, 2:17.72.
50 freestyle: 1. Charlotte Proceller, Weston, 23.95; 2. Sierra Cripps, Seymour, 24.43; 3. Anna Mrozik, Seymour, 25.48; 8. Brooke Pope, Woodland, 26.24.
100 butterfly: 1. Dia Gawronski, Woodland, 56.85; 2. Sierra Cripps, Seymour, 57.03; 7. Kelti Johnson, Seymour, 1:05.01.
100 freestyle: 1. Alexa Pappas, Weston, 52.92; 4. Hannah Tricarico, Seymour, 56.16; 6. Anna Mrozik, Seymour, 56.72; 8. Brooke Pope, Woodland, 57.61.
500 freestyle: 1. Ella Dyjak, Waterford, 5:13.94; 4. Emily Darroch, Oxford, 5:29.62; 8. Kaitlyn McCluskey, Seymour, 5:35.55.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Weston (Samantha Kim, Isabella Gary, Devon Panzirer, Katherine Linell), 1:40.84; 2. Woodland, 1:44.57; 4. Oxford, 1:47.12; 7. Seymour, 1:49.02.
100 backstroke: 1. Alexa Pappas, Weston, 57.47; 3. Julia McCarthy, Torrington, 1:01.43.
100 breaststroke: 1. Isabella Gary, Weston, 1:06.07; 4. Madelynn Mowad, Holy Cross, 1:07.13; 6. Olivia Velleco, Seymour, 1:10.48.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Weston (Alexa Pappas, Sarah Franco, Samantha Kim, Charlotte Proceller), 3:38.02; 2. Seymour, 3:42.05; 3. Woodland, 3:49.73; 5. Oxford, 3:54.89.

JASON LEVY
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
HARTFORD — The underdog Holy Cross volleyball team knew it was facing its toughest challenge Tuesday. And while the Crusaders ultimately fell short, they were able to walk away from the SMSA gym proud of their resilience.
No. 12 Holy Cross fell to No. 1 Coventry, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 25-14) in the Class S semifinals. Coventry will play No. 2 Lyman Memorial, the defending Class S champions, in Saturday’s final.
Trailing 1-0, Holy Cross (17-7) was able to tie the second set at 23-23. But Coventry (24-1) picked up the final two points to take what proved to be an insurmountable lead. But that didn’t mean the Crusaders were going to relent.
“I think that we were so close games one and two that we knew going into game three that this was it,” Holy Cross coach Danielle Moffo said. “And I think they just played their hearts out.”
Senior Meah Austin served up a team-high 10 points to go with five kills and three digs.
Fellow seniors Maia Regan added nine service points and eight digs and Nicole Strielkauskas led Holy Cross with eight kills.
Outside of a loss to Class L semifinalist Woodstock Academy, the Patriots only dropped one set in the regular season.
So it was no easy feat for the Crusaders to build a 19-12 lead in the third set and hang on for the victory.
“I think if anything it really pushed us to realize ‘hey, they’re a good team but we can steal something from them. We can definitely steal a set from them, and as long as we all try we (can) definitely get it.’” Austin said. “So it might have been a loss, but if you really think about it was kind of a good look.”
It was a bittersweet end for Austin, who had a positive outlook on her high school career.
“I’m going to look back and I’m going to be like ‘wow I played for Holy Cross volleyball’ and I’m definitely going to come back if I have a chance and help the younger generation,” she said.

BY ROGER CLEAVELAND
Republican-American

By RICK WILSON

WINDSOR — Here’s what Holy Cross didn’t know late last night about its final game of the season — the time and place. But here’s what the Crusaders did know, and the heck with the rest — it will be for the Class S state girls soccer championship.

On a brisk night, the No. 2-seeded Crusaders made a pair of first-half goals stand up to hold off No. 11 East Hampton, 2-1, in a feisty affair at Windsor High. Next up is a shot at the team’s first state title and its fourth appearance in the final ever, against No. 1 Old Lyme on Saturday.

Undefeated Old Lyme downed St. Paul, 4-2, a team that recently beat the Crusaders for the NVL title. But enough of that. This was about living the dream.

“It feels like we’ve accomplished something,” said Morgan Murray, who scored the Crusaders’ first goal. “We are looking forward to (the final).”

Coach Phil Mongelluzzo was in a giddy, glowing mood, and why not. State title games are not an everyday occurrence.

‘This is unbelievable when you work as hard we have all year,” said Mogelluzzo. “Two years ago, when I took over the job, I told the girls we had the talent to do this and I’m so elated for them, especially the seniors.”

Meagan McLaughlin scored for the Bell Ringers with 21 seconds left, so nobody was exactly wiping the sweat off their frigid brows.

Yet, East Hampton had its chances, matching Holy Cross shot for shot, 14-14. They hung around the door, they knocked on the door, they blanketed the net often. They just couldn’t get the door open until it was too late.

All of which Holy Cross knew.

“They are probably one of the best teams we have seen all year,” said Mogelluzzo. “We were fortunate they didn’t capitalize on several chances. I’m just proud of the way our girls stood up.”

“I knew 20 minutes into the first half that this wasn’t going to be an easy game,” added Murray.

The Bell Ringers (11-5-1) saw it the same way.

“We had some chances,” agreed East Hampton coach Glenn Gustine. “We had a corner kick less than a foot from the goal line that didn’t go in and one that rolled right in front of the goal. It was a very competitive game. Holy Cross played extremely well. They were hard to break down.”

A lot of the Crusaders’ moxie and defense seemed to come from the end of Madison Bushka’s foot. So many of the balls that the Bell Ringers batted around the Holy Cross goal were sent the other way by Bushka.

And while East Hampton’s pressure was a threat, Holy Cross had its own explosiveness. After dodging a couple of early chances from the Bell Ringers, Murray broke the scoreless tie with a beautiful bullet from 30 yards out.

Looking at the goal straight on, she drilled a laser over goalie Ally Williams lead for a 1-0 lead. The lead was good; a bigger lead was better.

With 3:08 to go in the half, Kiley Harnish ripped one from the right side into the left corner of the net for a 2-0 lead. Holy Cross was comfortable, but not that comfortable.

“We had a two-goal lead in a couple of games this year and lost, so the pressure was not off,” said Harnish. “We knew we had to keep the pressure up.”

And so the Crusaders did. While East Hampton kept coming, Holy Cross kept responding. The lead almost was three goals when Alyssa Hebb narrowly missed wide-left late in the second half, just one of several opportunities.

There were no more goals, however. There didn’t need to be. Two was enough to get the Crusaders to final game of the season. Two was plenty.

By Mark Jaffee

A few minutes with Derby’s Anthony Slowik:

Year: Senior Position: Left tackle, defensive end Age: 17 Future plans: Wants to become a carpenter.

Q Your grandfather, Richard Slowik, founded the original Derby Pop Warner program in town in 1966. What did he teach you about the game?

A My grandfather died when I was a freshman in high school, and that was just brutal because my grandfather meant so much to me. What I learned from him is to always be respectful of the game, the uniform and to one another. He passed that trait down to my dad (Ronald), and uncle (Ricky Slowik), and uncle (John Pagliaro, ex-Yale standout) and they all passed that down to their kids.

Q How did your two older brothers Ben (2015 graduate) and Nick (2010 graduate), both key impact players in the Red Raiders’ program, help you in your athletic career?

A They have always pushed me to be the best that I can be. Ben was a senior when I was a freshman, so that was a great feeling to be with him every day during the season. Growing up, I’d always be in the backyard with my brothers and cousins playing baseball and Wiffle ball. Wrestling is also big sport in our family. (Anthony Slowik took fourth place in the heavyweight division at the 2017 Class S wrestling).

Q What has been the best moment of being in the Derby program?

A Just being in the program with all of the history is the best part of it all. When I previously walked through the Derby Fieldhouse, it was an awesome experience. I would think about my dad and all of the great players and coaches who were here over the years. All of that history is being knocked down and a new fieldhouse is being built near the softball field. There was so much nostalgia in that building, things that I’ll never forget.

Q How do you want to be remembered at Derby High?

A The thing with my teammates was to get them to keep going strong in the second half, especially when we were leading at halftime and to make sure that everyone on this team understood about the Derby tradition and history of the program and the trait of never giving up.

The Holy Cross girls soccer team was the only area team to win Tuesday night, advancing to the state final. But there was plenty of action:

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