WestieBlue
BOYS LACROSSE 2023
Heartbreaker
WH falls to Cross in Double OT
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 4, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team saw its potential first win of the season in its grasp. Then, it slipped away.
Despite a late fourth quarter goal to force overtime, West Haven watched as Wilbur Cross scored in double overtime to defeat the Westies 7-6 Thursday evening in New Haven. With the loss, West Haven fell to 0-10 on the year.
“The Cross zone defense and tough goaltending proved difficult to convert goals in what was a defensive battle between the two evenly contested programs,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “Cross was very dangerous in transition, with the majority of their goals coming off of fast breaks. We did our best to move the ball, find the open looks, and convert. We had many chances to finish things, but Cross held on. Sadly, it did not go our way tonight. We will continue to work for our first win of the season.”
Cross held a 44-40 shot advantage in the contest with West Haven goalie T.J. Levenduski making 25 saves.
“T.J. Levenduski had another outstanding game as he continues to grow into a top-notch varsity SCC goalie,” Wezenter said. “Thomas Vets, a sophomore, stepped up during overtime, taking multiple faceoffs and preventing Cross fast breaks. Nick Conlan, despite being quiet on the scoreboard, was outstanding in every other phase of the game; ground balls, defense, transition, and ball movement and feeding, Nick played a major role for us despite it not showing on the books.”
Trailing 6-5, Zach Forbes scored off a rebounded shot in front of the crease with 59 seconds remaining in regulation to force the overtime.
Khai Outhavong and Marcus Burrows each scored twice, while Yousaf Ullah had two assists and Burrows also added an assist.
Outhavong scored West Haven’s lone goal of the first quarter off an assist from Forbes, while A.J. Iannotti scored at the 7:36 mark of the second quarter off an assist from Ullah, and Burrows scored off an assist from Ullah 2:16 later. Burrows set up Outhavong for another second quarter tally.
Burrows then scored off an assist from Nick Conlan at the 7:15 mark of the third quarter, setting up the dramatics from Forbes in the fourth quarter.
Law thumps Westies
WH drops 14-4 decision
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 9, 2023) - After a hard-fought overtime loss against Wilbur Cross, the West Haven boys lacrosse team was looking to build off that solid play. Unfortunately for the Westies, too many penalties hurt in a 14-4 loss at Jonathan Law Tuesday evening.
“Thirteen minutes in penalties set us back drastically in a game that was competitive throughout the first half,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “It was 6-3 at the half, before mistakes and bad decisions derailed us”.
West Haven (0-11) was outshot in the contest 38-15, with T.J. Levenduski making 17 saves. Nick Conlan scored twice, and Yousaf Ullah and Marcus Burrows also tallied in the loss.
The Westies trailed 6-3 at the half as Conlan scored at the 7:33 mark of the opening quarter, Ullah scored with 7:35 left in the second quarter and Burrows scored 5:59 later.
The Westies were outscored 8-1 in the second half as Law pulled away. West Haven’s lone goal came from Conlan, off an assist from Khai Outhavong, with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Westies fall to Lyman Hall
WH drops 13-9 decision
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 11, 2023) - Despite jumping out to an early lead, the West Haven boys lacrosse team could not seal the deal and fell 13-9 to Lyman Hall at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Thursday evening. With the loss, West Haven dropped to 0-12 on the year.
“The offense was very balanced, tying a team-high nine goals on the season, with four different players each scoring two goals, and Yousaf Ullah with three total points,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said.
West Haven led 6-3 as Nick Conlan scored off an assist from Khai Outhavong at the 10:31 mark of the first quarter, Marcus Burrows scored off an assist from Connor Hummel 1:42 later, Hummel scored from Zach Forbes with 6:21 left in the first quarter and Outhavong scored off an assist from Yousaf Ullah with less than 10 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Outhavong and Ullah scored unassisted goals in the second quarter for the three-goal lead.
“We rolled out to a 6-3 lead before Lyman caught fire and tied things up 6-6 going into the half, and shutting us out 2-0 in the third,” Wezenter said. “Three fourth quarter goals were not enough to answer. Our boys continue to battle in search of our first win.”
West Haven did not score again until the fourth quarter on tallies by Conlan, Burrows and Hummel. Ullah assisted on the Burrows goal and Burrows assisted on Hummel’s tally.
T.J. Levenduski made 15 saves as the Westies were outshot 28-17.
Heartbreaker
WH 10-9 in OT against Montville
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 13, 2023) - Despite getting closer and closer, the West Haven boys lacrosse team is still searching for its first victory of the season. Playing in another close contest, West Haven fell at Montville 10-9 in overtime Saturday morning.
“With an hour-long bus trip, and missing several key players (Nick Conlan, Aedan Coe, Nick Gerbase), we gave everything we had,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “Multiple kids stepped up to put us in position to win. Unfortunately, things did not go our way in overtime. We were man up, called an effective play, and could not finish.”
Montville held a slight 41-36 shot advantage, and T.J. Levenduski made 20 saves in goal for the Westies.
Khai Outhavong led West Haven with three goals and one assist, Connor Hummel had two goals and an assist, and Marcus Burrows finished with a goal and an assist.
Trailing 9-8, Outhavong fed Hummel for the equalizer with 41 seconds remaining in regulation to force the overtime.
Yousaf Ullah, off an assist from Hummel, and Burrows scored in the first quarter for West Haven, while Ullah, Hummel, and Outhavong all scored in the second quarter. Burrows assisted on Outhavong’s goal.
Outhavong and Zach Forbes scored in the third quarter, and Outhavong added his third tally with 4:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Senior Night
Berlin tops Westies in season finale
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 19, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team closed the regular season with a 15-1 loss against Berlin on Senior Night at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Friday evening.
Khai Outhavong scored the lone West Haven goal at the 5:55 mark of the second quarter. T. J. Levenduski made nine saves in the loss as the Westies were outshot 49-10.
“It was Senior Night to finish the season,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “It was another tough loss for the boys. I just want to thank the seniors for their contributions to the program and let them know that even though the season didn't quite go how we wanted it to be, that I have nothing but respect for them and how hard they played. I love these kids. They never quit, never gave up, were resilient to the very end. Cheers to the 2023 season.”
THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS
Westies fall in Opener
Xavier tops WH 17-3
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 4, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team knew the opening game of the season was going to be a tough one. When all was said and done, the ride to Middletown proved to be a tough one as the Westies fell to Xavier 17-3.
Xavier held a 24-10 shot advantage in the game and capitalized from the start. West Haven goalies T.J. Levenduski and Ameir Durham combined to make six saves with Levenduski making five saves.
We were short-handed in our opening game against a Division 1 SCC cross-over,” head coach William Wezenter said. “Our players worked hard and played hard the entire night.”
Senior Khai Outhavong and sophomore Nick Conlan led the offense as Outhavong scored twice and Conlan added a goal and an assist. Senior Connor Hummel also had an assist in the loss.
Conlan got the Westies on the board when he scored at the 6:46 mark of the first quarter, running past the Xavier defense in transition for the goal. Outhavong scored at the 7:38 mark of the second quarter, but Xavier was too much for the Westies as the Middletown school dominated the play.
“Nick Conlan and Khai Outhavong controlled the tempo of the offense when we did see possessions,” Wezenter said.
Outhavong capped the West Haven scoring with his second of the game at the 2:36 mark of the fourth quarter.
Westies fall to Sheehan
Titans tops WH 16-3
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 6, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team suffered its second straight loss with a 16-3 decision against Sheehan in Wallingford Thursday evening.
“We are a young team,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “The team is under a new head coach. They are continuing to work hard through growing pains as we seek improvement and understanding our roles.”
T.J. Levenduski made 22 saves, while Nick Conlan, Connor Hummel, and Yousaf Ullah each scored in the loss. Conlan Khai Outhavong, and Aedan Coe each had assists.
Sheehan held a 42-10 shot advantage in the game, but Levenduski kept his squad within striking distance with several clutch saves.
“Nick Conlan’s shooting and feeding stood out and T.J. Levenduski had an outstanding performance with 22 saves.”
Hummel scored at the 6:33 mark of the second quarter, Conlan tallied at the 3:41 mark of the third, and Ullah scored on a back-handed crease goal off a feed from Conlan at the four-minute mark of the fourth.
Shelton downs Westies
WH falls 15-1 in home opener
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 11, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 0-3 with a 15-1 loss against Shelton in the team’s home opener Tuesday evening. With the loss, West Haven dropped to 1-2 on the year.
“Our home opener started out competitive, but a tough second quarter led to the blow out,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said.
Marcus Burrows scored West Haven’s lone goal on a breakaway in the third quarter. Shelton held a 47-10 shot advantage in the contest with West Haven’s T.J. Levenduski making 18 saves, and Ameir Durham making nine saves.
Durham turned aside the nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Westies fall to Shelton
Burrows scores three times in loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 18, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 0-5 with a 20-7 victory over Hamden Tuesday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Hamden outshot the Westies 48-25 with West Haven goalies T.J. Levenduski making 13 saves and Ameir Durham making 15 saves.
Marcus Burrows recorded his first career hat trick, Nick Conlan scored twice, Zach Forbes recorded his first career goal, and Connor Hummel also scored in the loss.
West Haven scored three times in the opening quarter, with Burrows scoring at the 9:31 and 5:50 marks. Hummel scored off an assist from Conlan at the 2:40 mark of the opening quarter.
“We played a great first quarter as the young Westies’ boys lacrosse program continues to learn to play a complete game,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “There were lots of bright spots and improvements.”
The Westies added three more goals in the second quarter as Forbes scored unassisted at 8:04, Burrows scored his third of the game off an assist from Khai Outhavong with 1:39 left and Conlan tallied 39 seconds later.
Conlan scored West Haven’s final goal with 9:24 remaining in the fourth.
North Haven tops Westies
WH falls to 0-6
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 20, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 0-6 with a 15-2 loss against North Haven Thursday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Nick Conlan and Aedan Coe each scored for the Westies, while T.J. Levenduski made 12 saves. Victor Smith also played well defensively for the Westies.
“First- year player, senior Victor Smith, played good defense for us,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “He had several ground balls, and two successful clears in his first varsity start on defense.”
North Haven outshot West Haven 35-16 in the contest, with both of West Haven’s goals coming in the fourth quarter. Coe scored with 3:30 remaining and Conlan added the final tally with 18.2 seconds to go.
“The defense made improvements against a quality North Haven outfit,” Wezenter said. “North Haven's goalie, Michael Masto, was outstanding and proved tough, keeping us scoreless until the fourth. The team continues to get better with each game.”
Westies fall to Lyman Hall
Trojans top Westies 15-6
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 22, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team is getting closer to that first win. Battling for three quarters, the Westies could not prevail in a 15-6 loss to Lyman Hall Saturday morning in Wallingford.
“For three quarters, it was a very competitive game,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “The boys are very close to putting all of the pieces together to play a complete game. This is the best they have put together so far.”
Nick Conlan led the offense with three goals, Marcus Burrows added two goals and an assist, and Aedan Coe also scored.
Conlan opened West Haven’s scoring with 10:06 left in the opening quarter and Burrows followed suit with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter.
The Westies scored three times in the final 2:56 of the opening half on goals by Burrows with 2:56 remaining, Coe 1:05 later, and Conlan off an assist from Burrows with 53.3 seconds left in the half.
Conlan scored the final West Haven goal in the fourth quarter.
West Haven was outshot 35-18 in the contest. T.J. Levenduski made 10 saves and Ameir Durham finished with four saves for the Westies. Myles Cortes was solid on crease defense for West Haven.
“TJ Levenduski made several acrobatic saves in three quarters of play,” Levenduski said.
Rally falls Short
Branford holds off WH 13-9
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 25, 2023) - The West Haven lacrosse team battled, but the team could not prevail in a 13-9 loss at Branford Tuesday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 0-8 on the year.
Six different players scored for the Westies and eight players were in the scoring column. Nick Conlan led the way with two goals and two assists, Connor Hummel and Khai Outhavong each scored twice, while Zach Forbes, Aedan Coe and Marcus Burrows also scored.
“The team played a hard-fought, complete game,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said. “Long Stick midfielder JJ Alling, in particular, was outstanding on the defensive half. The offense was very balanced because their defense kept trying to lock off Nick Conlan.”
In an offensive contest, Branford held a 39-22 shot advantage. T.J. Levenduski made 10 saves and Ameir Durham made six in the loss for the Westies.
“It was an all-out battle between two rebuilding programs,” Wezenter said. “We finally put together four great quarters of lacrosse. However, (Branford’s) Sean Bosworth was able to put Branford over the top with six goals and one assist. It was great to see the kids play hard the entire time. The growth continues to be tremendous.”
Branford jumped out to a 7-1 lead before the Westies fought back. Forbes scored West Haven’s first goal off an assist from Conlan at the 8:12 mark of the opening quarter, before Conlan got West Haven within 7-2 off an assist from Jayden Franklin with 6:54 left in the first half.
Hummel got West Haven within striking distance when he scored off an assist from Yousaf Ullah with 4:03 remaining in the first half.
“Connor Hummel stings the top left corner on a man up feed from Yousaf Ullah in the second quarter to bring the game to 7-3 going into the half,” Wezenter said. “It was 7-1 at one point and looked like the game was getting away from us. This goal allowed us to go into half and rally.”
West Haven scored a pair of unassisted goals in the third quarter by Outhavong and Hummel, before putting more pressure on in the fourth with goals coming from Outhavong (10:40), Conlan (6:26), Coe (4:09), and Burrows (3:11).
Foran thumps Westies
Levenduski solid in goal despite loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 2, 2023) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 0-9 with a 17-2 loss against Foran at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Tuesday evening.
Marcus Burrows and Nick Conlan each scored for the Westies, while T. J. Levenduski made 25 saves in the loss as Foran held a 57-14 shot advantage in the game.
“T.J. Levenduski was electric in goal, making acrobatic save after acrobatic save in the losing effort,” West Haven coach Will Wezenter said.
Conlan scored at the 3:59 mark of the second quarter off an assist from Jason Alling as West Haven trailed 14-1. Burrows scored the final West Haven goal at the 10:27 mark of the third quarter.“We are using each game to improve,” Wezenter said. “The boys played hard and didn’t quit all game. Foran is probably the second toughest team on our schedule. We hope to turn the corner as we round out the rest of the season.”
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