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09/12/2022 12:45 PMThe Morgan boys’ soccer team has experienced tremendous success over the course of Head Coach Ross Demay’s tenure with the program. Despite graduating several talented players from last year’s team, the Huskies are once again poised to make some noise in the Shoreline Conference with a skilled group of seniors leading the way this season.
The Huskies kicked off their campaign by earning victories over Waterford and Westbrook during the first week of play. In its season opener, Morgan notched a 4-2 home win against Waterford on Sept.8.
Waterford started the scoring with a goal in the 11th minute, but Huskies’ senior captain Sebastian Kadlof answered with a goal that was assisted by freshman Jeremy Medranda in the 30th minute. Medranda then scored a goal to give Morgan the lead just 3 minutes later. Senior captain Matt Lopez scored a goal 3 minutes after Medranda’s tally to make it a 3-1 game at halftime.
Waterford scored in the 51st minute to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Lopez netted an insurance goal for a 4-2 advantage in the 63rd minute. Junior goalkeeper Jack Bousquet made 6 saves in goal for the Huskies.
The following day, Morgan was on the road to face Westbrook and recorded a 5-0 shutout over the Knights. Medranda had 2 goals and 1 assist, while senior Erik Barrera and Kadlof both scored 1 goal to go with 1 assist in the victory. Junior Tyler Febbroriello scored the other goal for the Huskies.
Lopez and freshman Damian Miranda each had 1 assist for Morgan. Freshman Liam Totten made 2 saves to get the win in net.
Last season, Coach Demay’s team finished with an overall record of 14-3-4. The Huskies advanced to the Shoreline Conference final and played Old Saybrook to a 1-1 draw to share the title with the Rams. Then in the Class M State Tournament, Morgan advanced to the second round and took a 2-1 loss to Barlow.
Last year’s team was led by seniors Tyler Mucha, Bailey Goss, and Alex Gallardo. Mucha and Goss earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team accolades, while Gallardo was named to the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team.
Coach Demay knows that the 2021 Huskies were a special group and that there are holes to be filled on this year’s team, most notably on defense.
“We lost a lot last year, especially defensively,” Demay said. “I know there wasn’t a team that touched us defensively in the Shoreline, so that’s going to be our biggest loss.”
Leading the defensive corps for Morgan this year is senior Joseph Morse, who earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team accolades last season. While there are younger athletes are filling in the gaps alongside Morse, Coach Demay feels confident that they’ll be stable enough to hold down the fort on the defensive end of the pitch.
Sebastian Kadlof and Matt Lopez are serving as the Huskies’ captains for the 2022 season. Kadlof was a team captain as a junior on his way to making the All-Shoreline Conference First Team last year. Lopez is the golden foot of Morgan’s offensive attack. Demay expects both captains to act as tremendous leaders and role models for the club’s younger players.
“Sebby’s really stepping up. I see he’s going to be a leader and he should be one of the top players in the Shoreline, if not the state,” said Demay of Kadlof. “Lopez is stepping up well offensively. We’ll see how he keeps progressing and, hopefully, he can build up on what he did last year.”
At midfield, Demay expects Barrera to continue to supporting Kadlof like he did last season. Erik Barrera will be playing a major role in terms of getting the ball upfield for the Huskies.
At the forward position, Demay is looking for Lopez and senior Steven Kinser to score their fair share of goals this year. Demay knows that the two forwards will be catalysts for the Huskies’ offensive unit.
Morgan’s senior class also includes Nick Boudreau, Kalky Cezar, and Nick Cummings. There are also several emerging juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are expected to play major roles while guiding the team through its tough schedule. Demay is counting on junior Kolby Clifton to help Morse as much as he can in the backfield. In the middle of the field, Jeremy Medranda, Damian Miranda, and freshman Jonny Gutierez are all expected to contribute meaningful minutes this season. Jack Bousquet and Liam Totten are both seeing time at the goalkeeper’s position for the Huskies.
Coach Demay has already seen several underclassmen step into big roles this year. Demay believes that their presence will be vital in the team’s quest for more success.
“We have to have some younger guys step up,” Demay said. “We have a decent amount of younger players that will be stepping up into the roles and, hopefully, they will do well to fill the voids left from the graduated seniors.”
Coach Demay knows the Huskies need to receive consistent contributions from their underclassmen. The younger players are poised to play important roles on this year’s team, and Demay is leaning on Morgan’s upperclassmen to guide them throughout the season.
“[The team has] got to stay healthy and become a little bit more focused. I know it’s easy for them to go through the preseason and be happy where they’re at, but they’re definitely going to have step up more,” said Demay. “That will have to come from the top down.”
Demay has his eyes on a few of Morgan’s Shoreline Conference rivals during the early portion of the season. When the Huskies faced Old Saybrook in last year’s Shoreline Conference final, Demay saw the importance that stamina plays in the outcome of a soccer contest.
“Last year, a big reason why Saybrook did what they did was they were probably the best shaped in our league. They would beat you in the second half,” Demay said. “Hopefully, we can get to be as good as they were last year and, instead of getting those draws, turn those into wins.”
Coach Demay and his players are setting the goal of continuing their run as a top team in the Shoreline Conference this season. Even with a little less experience in the lineup, Demay feels that the Huskies primed to continue being a dominant soccer squad.
“As our goals were the last few years, we’re looking to try and compete in the Shoreline. In the last seven years, the only time we didn’t make a Shoreline final was when we weren’t able to participate in the tournament because of COVID,” Demay said. “We’re hopefully looking to get back there, bring in another [championship], and go deep in states.”