The initial objective for Branford boys’ soccer each fall is to capture its division title and Paul Hunter’s squad took a big step toward achieving the three-peat on Oct. 1 by posting a 3-0 shutout at Oronoque foe North Haven.

Both teams entered the contest unblemished through their first three division duels, but it was the Hornets who emerged with a 4-0 Oronoque record by breaking open a scoreless game with a trio of tallies in the second half.

Later in the week, Branford lost to Shelton 2-0 to stand at 5-3-1 overall.

“Winning the Oronoque is the first goal we set each year and it was important for us to put up a victory so North Haven has to chase us the rest of the season,” said Coach Hunter, whose team hosts North Haven at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. “Hopefully, we can continue to play well within the division, get into SCCs by winning it, then get a high seed in states and see how far we can go in terms of our ultimate objective to be state champions.”

Branford—which went 7-0-1 in winning the Oronoque last year, followed by a run to the SCC Tournament final—had three breakaways in the first half against North Haven, yet couldn’t quite convert as the game went to halftime with zeroes on the scoreboard.

The Hornets then broke through 54 minutes in, when senior midfielder/defender Liam Daley scored off a corner kick from junior forward and Norwegian exchange student Christian Frich. About 16 minutes later, Daley netted another goal on a corner that was assisted by senior captain defender Justin Waters for a 2-0 advantage. Then in minute No. 74, senior Hunter Duval took a pass from sophomore midfielder Dylan DeMaio and put it into the lower left corner of the net from 15 yards out to seal it at 3-0.

The Hornets had 12 shots on goal to North Haven’s four with junior keeper Billy Bustos turning aside all of the Indians’ offerings.

“The first half was pretty much back and forth. We could have finished a little better, but were creating chances, which is the most important thing, and were hoping that, sooner or later, the goals would come,” said Hunter, who’s in his fifth season as head coach with assistance from Mark Faulkner and JV Coach Mark Harris. “In the second half, we controlled the ball more than North Haven, but their kids were out there giving everything they had and so we had to use our intensity and determination to play what was certainly one of our best games of the year.”

Branford came into 2013 having graduated several key components from last year, including its MVPs in goalie Jared Keck and Jaryd Hobbs, in addition to fellow central-midfielder Paul Habelow, plus defenders Will Radulski, Connor Bradshaw, and Uli Pino, the latter two who were senior captains with Hobbs and John Ainson.

The Hornets have just one captain this year in Waters, who’s joined in the senior class by Daley (5 goals, 3 assists), Duval, (3 goals, 1 assist) outside-defender Evan Buckman (who’s currently injured), midfielder David Eaton, midfielder/defender Andrew Malonis, midfielder/striker Johnny Juela, and goalie Wes Greene.

Hunter said that Waters “leads by his work ethic and desire to be the best he can be and win games,” and the coach additionally cited Daley and Duval for providing vocal leadership.

Waters shared his thoughts on the North Haven win and the way Branford’s season is unfolding thus far.

“North Haven is a big game and we knew they’d play us hard, but we fought through it and were able to get the win. We made a switch in the second half that allowed us to be more aggressive in the middle and gave our forwards more chances,” Waters said. “Our team lost seven seniors from last year and so we came back with a young group, but we’ve had some new people come to the team and other guys have come off the bench and done their part for us.”

Branford’s junior class features Bustos in the net; Aaron Radulski, Frich (4 goals, 1 assist), Max Condon (8 goals, 4 assists), and Nick Thomas at forward; Zack DiNoto, Joe Roca, and Jack Pottenger (currently injured) in the midfield; Michael Caminear on defense, and Gobari Idamkue as a defender/striker.

This season marks Bustos’s first as the Hornets’ starting keeper and Coach Hunter is pleased with what he’s seen thus far, noting his solid performance in the Shelton loss.

“Billy is doing very well and exceeding expectations and playing aggressively by coming out for through balls,” he said.

Coach Hunter additionally noted DiNoto for playing well in place of a few of his team’s injured athletes, calling him “a relentless worker.”

Hunter is also happy to see Condon—who was named last year’s Most Promising Underclassman—leading the team in points and sparking what’s proved a prolific offense.

“I thought coming into the season that we could be a dynamic team offensively and so far we’ve scored 25 goals and only allowed nine,” said Hunter. “All our kids who play up top are quality players and they have a good sense of how to break down the other team’s defense. They’re putting on a lot of pressure and creating scoring opportunities.”

Branford’s sophomores are DeMaio and fellow midfielder Nick Roca, defender Owen Boyle, and goalie Steven Hacker. DeMaio is another athlete Hunter credited for stepping up and earning playing time to assist his team through the injuries.

The Hornets also have three varsity freshmen in defender John Tratnyek, midfielder/striker Trey Duval, and goalie Nick Cordero.