he Valley boys’ soccer squad has certainly been tested so far this season as the Warriors have started off their schedule facing some of what are expected to be the top teams in the Shoreline Conference. After a tie versus Cromwell in the first week of play, Valley suffered a 1-0 loss to HK, but followed that up with the Warriors’ first victory in beating Hale Ray 2-1.

Against Haddam-Killingworth on Sept. 16, Valley found itself in another defensive situation where both teams had a hard time scoring because both defenses were found fighting hard for the ball at midfield. Though Valley did create a couple of chances in the first 10 minutes to get on the board after a corner kick and throw-in that went through the six-yard box and couldn’t be finished, HK’s goal came on a set piece on a cross in the first half and that would be the game’s only score. Michael Castelli had two saves in net.

"This was a similar game to Cromwell where both defenses played very well. I think we knew HK this year would be a team to reckon with as they’ve returned a good group of seniors and they had long stretches where they out-played us," said Coach Mick Fearon, whose team had just four shots on goal. "They’re a good-sized team, similar to us defensively, and with a really strong back line. Their midfield was more than we were in their physical presence and that controlled the game. We didn’t create clear opportunities and that’s a little worrying right now. HK will be one of the top teams in Shorelines and states this year I think. But for the kids, it wasn’t that the attitude wasn’t great going into it, but HK returned a lot of players this year and were more than we could handle."

Valley finally earned its first win in a 2-1 victory over Hale Ray on Sept. 19. Both teams started off strong and had a couple of chances each to score. Ben Ferrucci had a good shot that the Noises’ keeper made a good save on and Castelli returned the favor with a strong save of his own. About 12 minutes in, Garrett Hines crossed the ball into the box along the line and when a Hale Ray defender came out to try to make a play on it, he deflected it into the goal to put the Warriors up 1-0. The game then settled down and both squads were testing each other out for the remainder of the first half.

In the second half, Valley created a couple of good scoring chances where the shots sailed over the crossbar, but 55 minutes in, the Noises got a corner kick and the ball got crossed and knocked into the goal. To avoid overtime, Valley got a break on the right side and Kevin Cole fed Hines, who then shot the ball at the crossbar and Victor Cartagena followed the ball up and headed it into the goal for the game-winner with just 45 seconds left to play. Castelli had five saves in the 2-1 win.

"It’s always nice to get that first win under the belt," said Fearon. "It looked like it would be an overtime game, but the plus there was that we played right to the 80

^th

minute, because you never know when you’re going to get another chance. The positive is that we created that chance right near the end."