Girls’ Soccer

The Branford girls’ soccer team stands at 4-2-2 after earning a win and a tie in last week’s action. The Hornets posted a shutout against East Haven before playing Daniel Hand to a draw in its recent games.

Branford kicked off its week by netting a 4-0 victory at East Haven on Oct. 26. The Hornets scored two goals in each half on their way to the win over the Yellowjackets. Junior Kendall Infantino scored the first goal of the game for Branford and then freshman Brenna Murphy netted the second goal to make it 2-0 at halftime. In the second half, freshman Joelle Budz scored a goal to give the Hornets a three-goal lead, after which Infantino put a bow on the Hornets’ 4-0 victory by getting her second goal of the game.

Four days later, the Hornets played a road game against Hand and battled the Tigers to a 0-0 draw at the Surf Club in Madison.

Boys’ Soccer

The Hornets’ boys’ soccer team lost both of its contests last week and now has a record of 3-4-1 the year.

On Oct. 27, Branford played a road game with East Haven and lost to the Yellowjackets by the final score of 3-2. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime, but East Haven outscored Branford 2-1 during the second half to come away with the victory. Senior Matt Cordero scored the Hornets’ first-half goal on an assist from fellow senior Rocky Verdesoto. Senior Ralf Ciarleglio scored a goal for Branford during the second half of the game.

Then on Oct. 30, the Hornets dropped a 4-1 decision against Hand in a home game at Branford High School.

Girls’ Volleyball

The Hornets’ girls’ volleyball squad lost two matches last week, but also recorded a victory versus East Haven to put its record at 2-6 this year.

Branford dropped a 3-0 decision at Foran on Oct. 27. The next day, the Hornets hosted Mercy and took a 3-1 defeat at Branford High School. Then on Oct. 30, Branford won a 3-1 decision in a home match against East Haven.

Field Hockey

The Branford field hockey team took two recent home losses to move to 4-5 entering the final week of the regular season. The Hornets lost to Daniel Hand and Guilford in last week’s contests.

Branford started off its week by taking a 2-1 home loss to Hand on Oct. 26. The Hornets and Tigers were scoreless through the first half of play when they squared off at Branford High School. Hand scored two goals during the third period to take a 2-0 lead in the game. In the fourth period, Lauren Kendrick scored a goal on an assist from fellow sophomore Scout Engstrom to make it 2-1. Branford kept pressing for the tying goal throughout the rest of the game and had a corner in the final seconds, but was unable to net the equalizer.

Junior goalie Nina Shamas made seven saves for Branford. Head Coach Pete Frye said that the Hornets’ received outstanding efforts from junior Lenora Longway, freshman Raiyn Fries, and freshman Ellie Wieland in the game.

On Oct. 31, the Hornets hosted Guilford and dropped a 5-0 decision at Branford High School.

Girls’ Cross Country

The Branford girls’ cross country team competed against Cheshire for a road meet in its final competition of the regular season on Oct. 28. The Hornets took a 23-35 against the Rams at Cheshire Park to finish with a record of 3-5 for the dual-meet season.

Junior Isla Lionetti crossed the finish line with a time of 20 minutes and 42 seconds to take third place for Branford versus Cheshire. Sophomore Hannah Jackson finished fourth with a mark of 20:52, while junior Bella Finta claimed fourth place with a time of 20:52. Senior Steph Toste finished in 10th place (22:43), and sophomore Marina Smiarowski finished in 12th (23:13) for the Hornets.

Boys’ Cross Country

The Branford boys’ cross country squad took on Cheshire in its regular-season finale at Cheshire Park Field last week. The Hornets dropped a 17-38 decision versus the Rams on Oct. 28 to finish with a record of 2-6 for the 2020 regular season.

Junior Wes Raymond claimed fifth place in the race by running a time of 16 minutes and 55 seconds for Branford. Junior Pat Zdunek finished in sixth place (17:28), junior Cheng Wu took eighth place (17:40), freshman Sam Coppola came in ninth place (17:44), and senior Brennan Hynes finished in 12th place (17:54) for Branford.