The Morgan girls’ soccer team took a major leap forward in 2018. Last year, the Huskies put together an impressive season that saw the team win 15 games. This year, Morgan improved on that mark by finishing with an overall record of 17-2-3, while claiming the program’s first Shoreline Conference title since 2003. The Huskies took the conference crown by posting a 2-1 victory versus Cromwell in the championship game, after which they won three games in the Class M State Tournament to reach the semifinal round.

Head Coach Steve Sullivan knew that he had a special team from the start of the season. Morgan maneuvered through its schedule by notching wins in a variety of ways, but Sullivan was most impressed by all the hard-fought victories that the Huskies earned this fall.

“You could see it from the beginning of the season,” Sullivan said. “There were a lot of close games that, years ago, we may have let get away from us. The kids have really learned to fight hard, and we pulled out some tough games.”

Led by a strong senior class, one of Morgan’s biggest goals this year was to make some noise in the Shoreline Conference Tournament. Sullivan felt confident that his senior veterans would have a big impact during the postseason, and the second-year head coach was more with happy with the results

“I had coached these in Clinton Youth Soccer in 7th and 8th grade and four years through high school. I know they are talented and dedicated kids. We were really looking forward to taking steps this year like the ones we took last year,” said Sullivan, whose team went 12-1-3 during the regular season. “I was very happy with the season and how hard the kids worked. We fell a little short in states, but winning the Shoreline championship was a big step.”

Morgan’s strong play started with its senior captains, Alyssa LeMay and Erin Lindsay. Both athletes earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors, as well as New Haven Register All-Area accolades this season. They were also selected to play in the Connecticut Girls’ Soccer Coaches Association Senior Bowl. Additionally, LeMay earned All-State honors, and Lindsay was presented with the Huskies’ Most Valuable Player Award. LeMay led Morgan in both goals (15) and assists (10) on the year, while Lindsay proved an integral part of the Huskies’ staunch defense.

Coach Sullivan said that LeMay and Lindsay were exceptional leaders for a team full of athletes who were more than willing to follow them.

“It was a difficult decision selecting captains for this season, because a number of kids could have assumed that role. Alyssa and Erin were named captains, and everyone else was happy for them,” said Coach Sullivan, who was named the Register’s All-Area Coach of the Year. “That’s one thing that really stands out for me with this team—their overall unselfishness. It’s an easy bunch of kids to coach. They’re dedicated, hard-working, and they play for one another.”

Several other Huskies received awards at the end of the season. Junior Taylor Wyatt and sophomore Carley Schmidt (8 goals, 6 assists) garnered All-Shoreline Conference Second Team distinction for Morgan. Seniors Kylee Clifton, Rebecca Cockley, and Issy Ranaudo (6 goals) earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention. Fellow senior Grace Roman was presented with Morgan’s Sportsmanship Award.

The Huskies’ defense proved a key to their success this year. The backfield of Lindsay, junior Maddie Stopkoski, Wyatt, and junior Alyssa Smith (5 goals, 8 assists), along with Cockley in net, recorded 13 shutouts on the season. Morgan also scored plenty of goals by moving the ball and spreading out the attack.

“I would say defense was one of our biggest strengths. Our success this year had a lot to do with the keeper and the back four. In the 22 games that we played this year, we only allowed 15 goals. We played three more games than last year, and we allowed nine fewer goals,” Coach Sullivan said. “We shared the ball well. We scored a total of 51 goals, and 40 of them were on assists, and 12 different kids scored. That shows goes back to the unselfishness of these kids.”

Looking ahead to next season, Coach Sullivan knows that Morgan’s seniors will be difficult to replace. Fortunately, plenty of talented underclass athletes gained valuable playing time this year. On top of that, the Huskies’ JV team had a pretty great campaign in its own right.

“It’s going to be difficult losing 10 seniors. That’s a lot of quality players. I think that there are a lot of strong players coming back. There is a nice nucleus of kids that have seen varsity experience,” said Sullivan. “Our JV squad was actually quite impressive, also. They wound up going undefeated at 13-0. There’s a lot of talent coming up. I just think it’s a matter of playing together.”

From the Sidelines

The Morgan girls’ soccer team’s 2018 varsity roster features senior captains Alyssa LeMay and Erin Lindsay; seniors Chloe Bousquet, Kylee Clifton, Rebecca Cockley, Madison Emmi, Rachel Flanagan, Issy Ranaudo, Grace Roman, and Joelle Vuillieumier; juniors Alena Curtis, Maura Kelly, Natalie Novarro, Annalysse Olcott, Alyssa Smith, Madeline Stopkoski, Olivia Swan, and Taylor Wyatt; sophomores Madison Corgan, Caitlyn Donadio, Clara Franzoni, Emma Lindsay, Genna Rauccio, Olivia Riccio, and Carley Schmidt; and freshmen Jessica Flanagan and Taylor Maher.

Head Coach Steve Sullivan’s coaching staff includes assistant coaches Jessica Choronzy and Bill Lindsay, who also serve as the Huskies’ JV coaches.

The Huskies’ regular-season wins came against Coginchaug (3-0), Hale-Ray (7-0), Old Saybrook (1-0), Haddam-Killingworth (3-0), Westbrook (5-0), North Branford 2-0), Portland (2-0), Valley Regional (3-1), Old Saybrook (2-0), Cromwell (2-1), Old Lyme (1-0), and East Lyme (1-0).

Morgan’s lone regular-season loss was a 4-2 defeat versus Cromwell. The Huskies also earned ties with Bethel (0-0), East Hampton (1-1), and Norwich Free Academy (2-2).

In the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the top-seeded Huskies earned a bye through the quarterfinals, notched a 2-1 win over No. 5 seed East Hampton in the semis, and then defeated 3rd-seeded Cromwell by the score of 2-1 to take the title.

In the Class M State Tournament, No. 5 seed Morgan started off with a 2-0 win against 28th-seeded Waterford in the first round. The Huskies then defeated No. 12 seed North Branford (2-1) in the second round and 13th-seeded Nonnewaug (3-0) in the quarterfinals, before losing a 4-3 contest (4-2 on PKs) against No. 1 seed Lewis Mills in the semifinal round.