On the heels of last year’s great playoff push, the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ soccer team is trying to find the right formula to put together a complete game on a steadier basis this season. The good news is that the Cougars feature plenty of veteran players who are guiding the squad through that process, and they’ve helped H-K post a record of 4-3-2 through the first half of its campaign.

In 2017, Head Coach Denis Recchia’s club finished with a record of 15-3-3 for a season that saw the Cougars win a share of the Shoreline Conference Tournament title after playing Morgan to 1-1 tie in the final, marking H-K’s first conference crown in a decade and its third overall. The Cougars went on to advance to the quarterfinals in the Class S State Tournament.

On Sept. 17, Haddam-Killingworth made a statement by earning a 1-1 draw against an undefeated Valley Regional team. In last week’s action, H-K took a 2-0 loss against Old Saybrook on Oct. 1, before defeating non-conference opponent Amistad by a 4-2 score two days later. The Cougars finished the week by losing a 5-1 contest versus Morgan on Oct. 5.

Coach Recchia said that H-K has seen its fair share of dominant stretches this season. It’s just a matter of making those magic moments happen more often.

“We are a senior-heavy team again this year, and we’re trying to find consistency. We have games where we put it all together, and then we have games where we hit adversity and fall apart a bit,” said Recchia. “We want to get guys on the same page and develop a more consistent play style. It’s about getting these returning guys, integrating the new guys, and getting the trust and communication together.”

Senior captain Ben Marchetti is back on the field as a striker for Haddam-Killingworth after netting 25 goals a season ago. Marchetti is captaining the team in tandem with Thomas Williams, a defensive center midfielder. Coach Recchia said that both captains are doing everything in their power to contribute to the greater good of the Cougars.

“With Ben, everyone is paying attention to him on the field. Valley Regional doubled him the whole time. He’s scored in each of our first six games, and he’s a hard worker,” Recchia said. “Thomas covers the little mistakes and makes excellent passes. He’s unbelievable with how he plays.”

Coach Recchia also noted a few other athletes who are making key contributions for his team this year. One of those athletes is senior goalkeeper Trent Ferguson, who moved to the net after playing outside back on defense last fall. Recchia added that the experience of senior forwards Dan Martone and Alex O’Bymachow is proving a valuable asset for Haddam-Killingworth.

“Trent has been a real solid piece back there in net,” said Recchia. “Dan and Alex have both been battle-tested guys for us.”

Looking ahead, the Cougars have plenty of stern tests on the rest of their schedule with several games against Shoreline Conference title contenders. Coach Recchia feels that H-K is in the conversation with those programs, and he’s eager for Cougars to show that to the rest of the league.

“Going into this year, I thought we would be strong, but it’s hard to top what we accomplished last year,” Recchia said. “We played Valley Regional, who is a great team, to a tie. Valley, along with Old Saybrook and Morgan, are the teams to beat in the Shoreline Conference. We think we are right there with those guys. We expect to make Shorelines and states again, and we will try to go far again.”

From the Sidelines

Denis Recchia is back for his third campaign as head coach of the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ soccer team.

Dave Bafumi is serving as an assistant coach for the Cougars this fall.

Prior to last week, H-K posted shutouts against North Branford (8-0), Coginchaug (1-0), and East Hampton (2-0) to account for its first three victories of the season.