The Valley Regional boys’ soccer team struggled to find its footing a bit at the beginning of the season, but after a so-so start, the Warriors have won their last three games and are now 4-2. Valley notched two more wins last week to sweep its slate and make the statement that the Warriors will be a team to be reckoned with in the Shoreline Conference in 2019. Head Coach Mick Fearon’s squad has a roster with some solid upperclassmen with the experience to turn in the same type of 10-win season it did in 2018.

Coach Fearon was happy to see his squad get on the right foot after this week. After notching a .500 record through four games, Fearon wanted to see something out of the Warriors that showed they could be the same squad that tied for second in the Shoreline Conference last year. Part of the challenge is that many other teams in the conference are improving.

“We started off the season 2-2, and that was a little disappointing,” Fearon said. “Westbrook really surprised us with their victory, and it was a good eye-opener for the kids. Westbrook started a lot of freshmen years ago, but it’s not like that any more. A lot of teams in the Shoreline are bunched up talent-wise.”

Valley’s first game of the week came on the road against Haddam-Killingworth. The Warriors had something to prove against the Cougars as the two teams met last year in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals where H-K came out the victor. On Sept. 24, Valley claimed the 2-1 road victory after a hard-fought game.

Valley got down early as H-K pressed hard, but the Warriors eventually turned the game around according to Coach Fearon. After falling behind 1-0, senior captain Cameron Frazier got a steal and then chipped it ahead to junior Jake Burdick who scored to tie the game. Burdick also scored the deciding goal in the second half when he received the ball 30-yard out, then beat the goalkeeper, and knocked the ball in on the near post with his left foot.

“During the game, I thought that H-K put a lot of pressure on us early. They went up 1-0 within the first 20 minutes,” said Coach Fearon. “Jake had a good game. The second half there was a lot of end-to-end action. Ian Silva made a couple of important stops when it was 2-1. The defense did a good job stopping shots. H-K threw a lot of players forward, as they always do. It was an exciting game to watch from the sidelines.”

Valley outshot the Cougars 16-11 and both goalies had nine saves apiece.

Three days later, Valley hosted North Branford and secured a 9-0 blowout victory versus the Thunderbirds. Against an opponent like North Branford, Coach Fearon wanted to make sure his team continued playing well rather than down to the level of a team that the Warriors should beat on paper.

“North Branford is struggling a bit with their numbers, and we started off very strong. We were never in doubt of losing, but it was important for the team to realize we have to play defense,” Fearon said. “Sometimes when you play a struggling team you get into bad habits and get a little selfish. We made sure to keep moving the ball and protecting the ball.”

Frazier notched a goal at the 4:30 mark off an assist from Burdick. Four minutes later, Burdick scored an unassisted goal. Senior vice captain Ryan Shasha got a goal off a helper from Frazier, and Frazier scored again shortly after that. Then, Devon Connelly scored off an assist from Sam Helsel to make it 5-0 at halftime.

After 15 minutes into the second half, Michael Pitruzello scored off another Helsel assist. After that, Pitruzello scored an unassisted goal. With five minutes left, Jeremy Villavicencio met Keenan Pindar in the middle of the goal, who scored off the corner. Before the final whistle, Michael Kollmer scored on an assist from Villavicencio.

Against North Branford, Coach Fearon had the opportunity to get some players into positions that he wouldn’t normally. Many defenders moved up onto the attack to get some valuable experience and shots. The defense has mostly played well, and Fearon hoped to reward them with some goals.

“I tried to give some defenders some time up-front time to get some goals. They’re always excited to get up front. It’s a little reward for them. When defenders get a few goals, that’s a big bonus. There are no statistics for defenders,” said Fearon. “They’re starting to play well defensively, but we still have some lapses in concentration that we have to take care of. I would like to see us keep the possession a little more, instead of being so direct. High school soccer is played at such a frantic pace. Possession is more important than knocking the ball downfield.”

The defense has been anchored by Evan Benson, Andrew Salbinski, Michael Brooks, and Michael Kollmer. Tate Ingham comes off the bench in that spot too, as does Ryan Shea. The defensive play has gotten better, and so has the steady leadership of the team’s senior captain Frazier and senior vice captain Shasha.

“This is the first year that Cameron has been up front for us, he sacrificed being a forward because we were lacking in the back. It’s good that he gets exposure up front, and Ryan Shasha is quick out on the field,” said Fearon. “They are also unselfish with their work off the ball. Cameron Frazier has been more vocal as a captain and talking to players when they need it. He helps them with their confidence. Ryan Shasha has been doing that as well. There’s nothing worse than making a mistake and then still worrying about it.”

What Fearon likes the most out of his senior leaders is their ability to guide the team without input from the sideline.

“You don’t want the coach always telling you what to do. When Phil Jackson was with the Lakers, they had one game that they were ahead by 25, and they ended up losing the game. When asked why he didn’t call a timeout, Phil Jackson said that they are professional players, and they need to be able to figure it out themselves,” Fearon said. “They are the ones on the field playing. They can’t be looking to the bench all the time. We have to expect that sometimes from young kids, too.”

• The Valley Regional boys’ soccer team’s roster includes senior captain Cameron Frazier, senior vice captain Ryan Shasha; seniors Evan Benson, Devon Connelly, Sam Ocken, Michael Pitruzello, Baron Schafer, Dylan Sparaco, Jaden Veiga, and Jeremy Villavicencio; juniors Jackson Bisson, Michael Brooks, Sam Helsel, Tate Ingham, Ronald Llivichuzhca, Keenan Pindar, Cameron Ruel, Ryan Shea, Andrew Sherman, and Ryan Silva; sophomores Jake Burdick, Tucker Burr, Hayden Lombardi, Simon Partyka, Andrew Salbinski, and Ian Silva; freshmen Samuel Hutchinson and Michael Kollmer.

• Head Coach Mick Fearon is in the midst of his 18th season at the helm of the Warriors. Fearon’s coaching staff includes Bryant Ziobron and Dan DeNegre.

• For the rest of the season, the Warriors are playing home games versus East Hampton, Hale-Ray, Cromwell, and Haddam-Killingworth. Valley has road matches against Old Lyme, Coginchaug, Old Saybrook, Windham, and Morgan.