It was a great five days for Head Coach Mick Fearon and the Valley boys’ soccer team as the Warriors doubled their win total for the season. The Warriors began the week with a record of 3-3-3, but after posting victories over North Branford (7-0), Portland (5-1) and Lyman Memorial (2-0), they ended the stretch at 6-3-3, qualified for the State Tournament, and significantly improved their Shoreline Conference playoff hopes.

The stellar stretch started with an offensive explosion as the Warriors scored a season-high seven goals against North Branford at home on Oct. 12. Valley won the match decisively with a 7-0 final. The game didn’t begin like a blowout as both teams battled for field position until the 34th minute of the match, when sophomore Adrian Sperzel scored off a Jake Patterson pass to give the home team a 1-0 advantage. The game went into halftime as a defensive struggle, although the second period would be quite different.

“I thought we came out a little sluggish and North Branford hung with us for the half,” Coach Fearon said. “But in the second half we came out really strong.”

The Warriors scored twice quickly in the period when seniors Garrett Hines and Jason Simoneau took over. Hines made it 2-0 off a John Brophy pass and then leading scorer Simoneau put Valley up 3-0 on an assist by Alex Lepore. The flood gates were now open and captain Hines then netted his second of the half with the feed from Simoneau. Charlie Ferrucci, back in action after being out with an ankle sprain, got on the board next to put Valley up 5-0 with the assist from Nick Lepore. Later in the game, both Lepore brothers scored goals to complement their assists and make it 7-0 with helpers from Simoneau and freshman Michael Dilger to wrap up the evening.

“Each goal came with an assist, which was more important than the goals themselves because it shows we are an unselfish team and creating for others,” Coach Fearon said. “It was also great to get some of the injured players back and also get some of the younger guys into the game. This was a chance to get them some valuable game experience. They have played hard on junior varsity and it was good for them to get the exposure to an upper level of play and as a reward for their hard work.”

Then in front of a home crowd, Valley kept the offensive momentum going with a 5-1 victory over Portland on Oct. 15 that punched its state tourney ticket. Hines and Simoneau were at it again as they each scored and assisted the other in the first 12 minutes of the game. First, Hines scored off a Simoneau pass then he returned the favor and Valley was up quick, 2-0. Portland cut the lead in half to 2-1 just before the break. In the second half, Simoneau scored off another Hines feed to go up 3-1. A little later, Hines hit the back of the net with the setup from Simoneau as they played a great two-man game. With the game winding down, junior Victor Cartagena added the final goal and Valley walked away with its second win of the week, 5-1.

“I think we had a good overall performance with lots of great passes and crosses from the corners and we played very well,” Coach Fearon said. “Jonathan Lacoske, Eric Petroka, Kelvin Peterson, Ryan Davis, and everyone on the back end played solid defensively. Buddy [Haydu] had three saves, so I thought we played really well against a good Portland team.”

Two days later on Oct. 17, the Warriors showed their versatility when they traveled to Lyman Memorial for a non-conference game and won a defensive battle 2-0. It was a cold, windy day in Lebanon and the Bulldogs dominated at first by controlling the ball and playing in Valley’s end of the field. Then Hines found Nick Lepore, who booted it between the pipes to put Valley ahead 1-0. Both teams fought through the breezy conditions and the half ended with Valley clinging to the slimmest of leads. In the second period, when Lyman Memorial pressured the Warriors, Coach Fearon made a defensive adjustment and dropped his leading scorer Simoneau back to help on the defensive end. This keen strategy canceled out the Bulldogs’ attempts to bring more offense up the field and stopped the attacks. Later in the game, Sperzel broke free and gave the Warriors some breathing room with a much-needed goal off an assist by Hines. The insurance proved to be enough as Valley’s shutdown defensive closed out the 2-0 victory and the 3-0 week.

With the three wins, Valley not only jumped to 6-3-3 on the year with a state tourney berth in the bag, but the Warriors are also 4-3-2 in the Shoreline Conference. They are in striking distance for the Shoreline Conference playoffs, but still need some help to get in.

“Non-conference games with Lyman Memorial are always competitive and playing them is a good way to get ready for the state tournament. As far as Shorelines, we have to stay focused and take care of our business and let the games play out the way they will.” Fearon said. “I’m very happy with the way our defense is playing right now and, on the offensive side, we are creating chances, which is great because you can’t score if you don’t create opportunities.”

• At the beginning of the year, the Valley boys’ soccer team got together and came up with a list of goals it wanted to achieve in 2015. The top objectives were to be a balanced team and share the ball. Thus far, Valley has 12 different players who have scored this season on a team of 19 athletes. The Warriors have also seen 10 different players collect at least one assist. This unselfishness and ability to spread the ball around led to seven goals on seven assists in their 7-0 win over North Branford on Oct. 12.