HARTFORD, CT — It wasn’t easy for the Tolland High School Eagles, but the favorites Saturday were able to eke out the CIAC Class M state boys soccer championship.
The Eagles defeated a game Weston High School, 2-1, a contest that started with a deficit and progressed into a relentless attack that, in the end, produced just enough goals to win.
The Tolland High School Eagles, coached by Mike Caccomo, went into the game as the favorites, seeded sixth and enjoying an 11-3-2 regular season mark.
West High School’s Trojans, led by head coach Thomas Guardado, were seeded 24, going into the CIAC tourney with a 5-4-7 regular season mark.
As often happens with championship high school soccer games, play was deliberate and disciplined, with no major chances early.
Tolland , the favorites, spent a majority of its ball possession in Weston’s half of the field, making the Trojan defense work hard to keep it scoreless.
But then Weston struck fast, with a header past Tolland goalkeeper Andrew Chater by senior Luka Navaresse putting the Trojans up 1-0 after WHS spent much of the half defending.
Less than a couple minutes later, Tolland appeared to tie the score but a long distance goal by senior Carson Merluzzo was controversially disallowed by an “indirect free kick.”
Two yellow cards were, subsequently, issued to members of the Tolland bench as coaches protested.
With an indirect free kick, a ball cannot be kicked directly into the goal, which is what happened in this instance.
Had the referee awarded a direct free kick, the goal would have been allowed.
Tolland continued to be dangerous in the first half, as they pushed the ball deep into Weston’s zone consistently in search of an equalizer that never came in the first half, which ended with Weston up 1-0.
The pattern of play continued that way in the second half, with Tolland charging at Weston’s goal, but the Trojans’ defense held firm led by Weston goalkeeper Jason Dize.
Then Tolland junior Reid Babcock took a pass, dribbled into the box and fired a shot past Dize to even the game with 29 minutes to go, ending what seemed to be an inevitable wave en route to an equalizing, 1-1 score.
Tolland’s attack continued its onslaught after the tying goal, with Eagle Purple swarming Dize in the box and threatening to score.
As the half continued, however, play settled down and Weston was, even, able to move play to Tolland’s side of the field more.
But with the clock winding down, Tolland sophomore Jonathan Adadjo grabbed a loose ball in the box, dribbled to his right, and then slotted a shot into an open net as Dize was on the ground in the middle of the box.
With a bit more than three minutes to go, Tolland grabbed a 2-1 and a state championship that seemed to be inevitable.
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