Junior Wyntre Fries cuts through two Westie players with the ball.
After an opening day 2 – 0 win over the North Haven Indians, the Branford Hornets girls’ soccer team hit a rough patch losing five in a row, including a hard-fought 3 – 2 game to West Haven at Veterans Parks in Branford.
Ashby (#15) and her teammates run up field after she scores.
“We’re a young team and have a lot of underclassmen that will gain experience over the year,” said Jen Kohut, Hornets’ coach. Branford only has six seniors on this year’s club.
Coach Kohut talks to the team prior to the start of the game.
Branford took the lead at 6:45 in the first half on a goal by senior co-captain Morgan Ashby. The Westies countered with two goals with Gabby Prisco scoring the tying goal at 10:40 and then Lauren Lewis giving West Haven the lead 2 – 1, with a goal at 16:49.
Morgan Ashby scores the first goal of the game.
Junior Taylor Brown intercepts a pass intended for Kaylee Pliszka.
Co-captain Madeline Rowe gets a pass off to a teammate.
Rose Lockery fires a shot past goalkeeper Betsy Magana to tie the game at 2 – 2.
Junior Daly Hynes has her eye on the ball.
West Haven’s MacKenzie Holy is met by a host of Branford defenders: (L‑R) Sydney Panczak (25), goalkeeper Nina Grabowiecki, Carly Rondo (partially hidden), Olivia Kallert (21), Suzanne Prota (16), and co-captain Madeline Rowe (17).
Junior Taylor Brown intercepts a pass intended for Kaylee Pliszka.
Branford put a lot of pressure on late in the game in an effort to get the tying goal.
The Hornets tied the game in the second half at 2 – 2 on a goal by Rose Lockery on an assist from Ashby at 41:35, and it looked like momentum shifted to the Hornets, but back came Prisco the all-conference senior to score again at 50:00 to ice the win for the Westies.
West Haven outshot Branford 10 – 7. Goalkeeper Nina Grabowiecki recorded five saves while Westie goalkeeper Betsy Magana had three.
Here Grabowiecki stops a shot by Lauren Lewis as Caroline Erickson comes over to help.
Since that game, West Haven defeated North Haven 5 – 1 to improve their record to 3 – 2‑2, while the Hornets fell to Foran, 1 – 0, to go to 1 – 6.
Before the game are (L-R) assistant coach Billy Alessi, co-captains Julie Howard-Flanders, Madeline Rowe, Morgan Ashby, and coach Jen Kohut. Not present was assistant Katie Rebeschi.
Branford’s next game is Thursday against East Haven at Veterans Park in Branford at 3:45 p.m.
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