Field Hockey

The North Branford field hockey team improved its overall record to 11-0 after scoring victories in both of last week’s matchups. The Thunderbirds earned wins versus Amity and Old Saybrook to remain undefeated in the 2022 campaign.

North Branford began last week by posting a 4-0 shutout over Amity in the team’s Play for the Cure Game on Oct. 3. Junior Keana Criscuolo scored 3 goals to go with 1 assist for North Branford in the victory. Junior Sophia Toto had 1 goal and 1 assist. Senior Payton Kamienski also handed out an assist for the Thunderbirds.

Freshman goalkeepers Ashley Rourke and Madi DiStefano both saw time in net for North Branford, making 2 saves each. Head Coach Babby Nuhn said that senior Gianna Palma and junior Morgan Lucibello played stellar games in the midfield to help the T-Birds triumph.

Three days later, Thunderbirds hosted Old Saybrook and defeated the Rams by the final score of 5-1 at North Branford High School. Toto had big game by scoring 4 goals in the victory. Criscuolo had the other goal for North Branford. Criscuolo, Kamienski, and junior Lindsey Onofrio all had 1 assist for the T-Birds.

Coach Nuhn said that junior Gianna Gamble held a strong presence in the defensive zone and added that junior Gabi Senerchia and sophomore Riley Cole stepped up with some key defensive moves in the midfield. Nuhn also noted that the Thunderbirds were bolstered by strong play from junior Sienna Brigance, sophomores Joanna Lamot, sophomore Sam Ferraro, sophomore Daytona Kamienski, freshman Leah Brustman, and freshman Bella Warren.

During the previous week’s action, North Branford earned a 3-1 road win over Westbrook-Old Lyme on Sept. 30. Toto scored 2 goals, while sophomore Alivia Schmidt also scored a goal for the Thunderbirds. Coach Nuhn said that junior Téa Ferrucci provided a huge spark for her squad on offense.

North Branford has three road games on its schedule this week. The T-Birds are playing at Valley Regional on Friday, Oct. 14 at 3:45 p.m.; Branford on Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.; and Haddam-Killingworth on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 3:45 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer

The North Branford/Hale-Ray (NB/H-R) co-op girls’ soccer team picked up its first win of the season and also notched a tie in last week’s action. The T-Birds posted a shutout victory over Harding-Bassick, played Westbrook to a draw, and then lost to East Hampton to put their overall record at 1-7-1 on the year.

NB/H-R started off last week by netting a 7-0 shutout versus Harding-Bassick in a road game on Oct. 3. Senior Ashley DelloIacono scored 2 goals and had 2 assists for the Thunderbirds in the victory. Fellow senior Marissa Perry converted a penalty kick and also had 2 assists for North Branford.

Sophomore Catherine Raynor scored 2 goals in the contest. Freshman Alyssa Marino had 1 goal with 1 assist. Senior Abigail Fuhrmann scored a goal, and fellow senior Natalya Guerrero had an assist. Senior goalkeeper Ava Candelora made 3 saves for the shutout in net.

Two days later, the T-Birds hosted Westbrook and battled the Knights to a 2-2 tie. North Branford finished off the week by taking a 6-0 defeat at East Hampton on Oct. 7.

NB/H-R is hosting Haddam-Killingworth for a matchup on Friday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. The T-Birds will then face Portland on the road on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

Boys’ Soccer

The North Branford boys’ soccer team lost two games last week and is now 1-9 on the season. The T-Birds took defeats against Kaynor Tech and East Hampton in recent action.

North Branford took an 8-2 loss to Kaynor Tech in a road game on Oct. 3. Then on Oct. 7, North Branford hosted East Hampton and lost the Bellringers by an 11-0 score.

The T-Birds are on the road to face Haddam-Killingworth on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 3:45 p.m. After that, North Branford is playing a home game versus Portland on Monday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m.

Girls’ Volleyball

The North Branford girls’ volleyball team took a pair of recent road losses to move to 3-8 for the season. The T-Birds lost contests against Hale-Ray and Morgan in last week’s action.

On Oct. 3, North Branford took a 3-0 defeat to Hale-Ray in a road match. The next day, the T-Birds faced Morgan on the road and lost to the Huskies by the final score of 3-2.

North Branford is playing a road match versus Haddam-Killingworth on Friday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. The Thunderbirds will go on to host Cromwell on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 11:30 a.m. and Old Lyme at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17. After that, North Branford has a road match with Coginchaug on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

Football

The North Branford football team hosted the undefeated Sport & Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA) co-op team for a Friday night game on Oct. 7. The T-Birds took a 34-12 defeat versus SMSA at Colafati Field and now have an overall record of 2-3 on the season.

SMSA scored the first 3 touchdowns of the game to take a 21-0 halftime advantage over North Branford. The teams traded TDs during the second half as SMSA came away with the victory to improve to its record to 5-0 this year.

SMSA scored on a 49-yard touchdown run to grab a 6-0 lead over North Branford in the first quarter. The Tigers ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 after one.

In the second quarter, SMSA connected on a 44-yard TD pass to take a 14-0 advantage. Later in the period, the Tigers scored on a 3-yard touchdown run and then hit the extra point for a 21-0 lead at halftime.

North Branford got on the board when senior quarterback Mason Provencher found fellow senior Eric Izzo on a 5-yard touchdown pass during the third quarter. The extra point was no good, and the T-Birds trailed 21-6 entering the fourth.

SMSA used an 8-yard TD run to increase its lead to 27-8 in the final frame. North Branford came back with a 5-yard touchdown run by senior Jack Meehan, cutting the deficit to 27-12. SMSA put the game away by rushing for a 10-yard touchdown later in the fourth quarter, putting the finishing touches on a 31-14 victory for the Tigers.

Provencher finished the game 12-of-22 passing for 234 yards and 1 touchdown for the Thunderbirds. North Branford gained 59 yards on the ground as a team, led by senior Jace Kamienski with 23 yards on 5 carries.

Izzo had a big night in the receiving game by catching 5 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. Senior Elias Defaranos had 3 catches for 76 yards, while senior Ian Kamienski caught 3 passes for 52 yards for the T-Birds.

Meehan also had a fumble recovery on defense in the game. Freshman AJ Sigel made 10 tackles and also recorded a sack. Junior Braden Burns had 9 tackles on the night for North Branford.

North Branford (2-3, 1-2) will be on the bye week for this week. The Thunderbirds will return to action to host Haddam-Killingworth (2-2, 1-2) for a Pequot Conference Sassacus Division game on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m.