Whenever we watch a team dominate in its respective sport season after season, we start to ask ourselves when that team can be referred to as a dynasty. For the Morgan girls’ soccer team, it is well on its way to being in an elite tier of conversation after achieving yet another set of hardware this fall.

On Oct. 21, the Huskies defeated the Old Saybrook Rams 2-1 to claim the Shoreline Conference Championship (SLC) title, making it the program’s fourth consecutive conference victory. Second-year Head Coach Jonathan Harder expressed that while he knew the talent his team had, the familiarity that Old Saybrook provided made the title game a bit difficult to navigate.

“The championship game was definitely challenging for us because we played Old Saybrook. They know us pretty well, they know our style of play, so they really took it to us for most of the game. We were able to hold them off to a two-goal lead, and then they scored,” said Harder. “I think we limited them to one shot in the second half, neutralizing their attack. We had scoring opportunities, but we could not score. Towards the end of the game we were able to come out with a victory.”

Sadie Passante (junior, midfielder) scored the first goal assisted by Rachel Spaziano (senior, captain). Spaziano scored the second goal from a corner kick assisted by Riley Febbroriello (junior, defender). Liliana Novicki (senior, goalkeeper) had two saves.

As a result of the girls’ strong season on the field, several players were named to the All-Shoreline First and Second Teams. Spaziano, Passante, and Katie Gardner (junior, forward) were all named to the First Team. Earning spots on the Second Team were Cora Deming (junior, midfielder) and Febbroriello. Ainsley Lyon (junior, midfielder) received an Honorable Mention.

Every good team needs strong captains, and that’s exactly what the Huskies sported this fall, with Spaziano and Liliana Luciani (defender) always giving their team 100% and being the best leaders the program could’ve asked for. They both brought a special energy and cohesiveness that kept their teammates locked in for the entirety of the campaign.

“They are great leaders on the field. When the whistle blows, they are all business and are able to rally the rest of the players around them,” said Harder. “They lead by example, which is an expectation from the coaching staff. They are also really likeable and are actually cousins, so they mesh really well together. They also provide a lot of humor and levity during practice for the team.”

Spaziano, who helped her team to get in the right mindset all season long and continue to aim high, emphasized how special it was to not only win the conference title as a group, but also to win it for multiple years in a row. She certainly didn’t take that feeling of consistently being at the top of a competitive Shoreline Conference for granted.

“I think it was just awesome to win as a team, obviously, but to do it for Sully, obviously our old coach, and to do it four years in a row just shows the kind of talent that we have on this team,” said Spaziano. “I think that every senior this year was really great, and we all just contributed to the win. To be able to do that four years in a row is an opportunity that not a lot of people obviously are able to have, and to feel able to do that in just every year is really awesome.”

Spaziano also felt that being a co-captain with Luciani, who she’s known since her youth years, helped the duo to be more effective captains. They were able to lift each other up and show constant support for each other, as well as their teammates.

“Yeah, so obviously we're extremely close, outside and on the team, and we're with each other pretty much all the time,” said Spaziano. “So to be able to be captain with her is awesome, and I think growing up even from a rec season of just being so young to our freshman year helped. Then all four years together and being captains together is the icing on the cake, but also just like such an amazing opportunity. And I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else by my side.”

The Huskies finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-3-3. Passante was the goal scoring leader, followed by Spaziano, and then Gardner.

“Rachel just does a lot of work for us in the middle of the field. A lot of other teams pay attention to her. Sometimes, I dedicate a player to her just to mark her for the whole game. She has incredible motor and just keeps going,” said Harder. “Kate is just an incredible hard worker, leading the team in tackles. She is really good at taking the ball away from the other team, which enables the rest of her teammates just to play their game.”

On the defensive side of the field, Luciani, Febbroriello, and Gabby Navara (senior) have kept their team on the winning side in the majority of their games, primarily due to their ability to all be on the same page and work as a group.

“They have all been doing a great job, especially down the stretch. We have really solidified our defense,” said Harder. “They have been working really well together, and it is nice to see as a coach because you have been working through that all season. We are starting to see things gel at the right time.”

Prior to the title tilt on Oct. 21, Morgan first took down Coginchaug at home by a score of 5-1 in the semifinals. Spaziano got the Huskies on the board in the first half, and then in the second frame, Passante added a score, and Mia Zhiminaicela (freshman, midfielder/defender) added a hat trick of three goals. Novicki recorded three saves in net.

On Nov. 4, the No. 7 seed Huskies began their run in the Class S State Tournament. After earning a first-round bye, Morgan hosted the No. 10 seed Valley Regional in the second round and won 5-0.

Zhiminaicela scored the first goal for the Huskies in the first half. In the second half, Spaziano had the second goal, Passante scored two goals with one assist, and Emma Holecz (sophomore, midfielder) scored the fifth goal. Febbroriello added two assists, and Novicki had two saves.

In the quarterfinals, the Huskies took on No. 15 Coventry on Nov. 7 and earned a 6-0 victory. Spaziano started the scoring for Morgan. In the second half, Deming had one goal, Olivia Ruotolo (senior, forward) had two goals, and Passante and Spaziano both had one goal apiece. Novicki had two saves.

As Harder reflected back on what was a season full of many positives, he noted that the biggest wins came when the team was able to buckle down defensively and keep the ball away from its own net. If the defense was on point, everything else fell into place.

“The most important thing is our core belief at Morgan, which is that you have to defend first and keep the ball out of the goal. If you cannot do that, you can’t win consistently. In the games that we were not able to win, and some of the games that we tied, we made mistakes,” said Harder. “That cost us some goals or even the game itself. We were able to work through some of that stuff defensively and keep the ball on the other side of the field, nowhere near our goal. When we were able to do that, we have had a lot of success.”

Additionally, Harder highlighted the fact that being able to convert on fast breaks and execute shots the right way was a big area of growth for his team this season. He saw many girls crack the code when it came to learning how to set up the play for the score, and how to find the net at the same time.

“One of the things that we started working on last season and quite a bit this season is just finishing, how to shoot, and also how to score goals, which are two different things. It takes a lot of coordination, timing, synergy, and just rehearsal,” said Harder. “That is probably the thing that we have put the most time into: defense, and how to finish. The box score of five goals is not a mistake, that is just something that we have been really working on. We were able to hit and connect on a lot of those passes to finish.”

One of the biggest factors that goes into building a successful team is being able to step outside its comfort zone and face some bumps in the road. Morgan had its fair share of obstacles when it came to its schedule, proving even more that the squad had the ability to adjust and keep moving forward.

“We played some tough teams this season, and we were beaten by some teams that just played better soccer than us. We are glad to play teams that beat us because we want to get better. You can’t get better until you figure out where your weaknesses are and how to fix those problems,” said Harder. “I don’t think that we have had any personality issues or any existential issues. We have always been committed since the beginning of the season and during preseason. We start the season with a 5K, just to help the team get in shape and prevent those injuries that could happen during the season.”

Morgan will next play in the semifinals against the third-seeded Thomaston on Tuesday, Nov. 12 (after press time) at 6:30 p.m. at Wethersfield High School.

Harder is assisted this fall by Bill Lindsay and Chris Passante.

The varsity roster for the Huskies includes Luciani, Navara, Novicki, Ruotolo, Spaziano, Deming, Febbroriello, Gardner, Lyon, Passante, Addison Reed (junior, midfielder), Holecz, Colbie LeClaire (freshman, midfielder), and Zhiminaicela.