Solid Effort
Westies blank Coginchaug
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 12, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team used a solid effort to start the 2019 campaign in a 2-0 road victory over Coginchaug.
The West Haven defense came up big with a shut down effort and the offense got a pair of timely goals in the opening victory.
Brian Rivadera (26) and the West Haven defense shut down Coginchaug in a 2-0 opening day victory for the Westies, September 12, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Aldo Barragan led the West Haven offense with one goal and one assist, while John McLaughlin made seven saves, including five in the second half for the shutout.
"John (McLaughin) made some big saves in the second half to keep us in the game," West Haven coach Chris Cap said.
McLaughlin was big for the Westies throughout the contest as he helped keep the game scoreless with a pair of saves in the opening half.
Barragan finally got West Haven on the board when he gave the Westies a 1-0 lead off an assist from Luis Lopez at the 72 minute, 48 second mark.
Coginchaug had its opportunities in the second half, but McLaughlin kept the the hosts off the scoreboard, then received some cushion when Derick Meza scored at the 75:20 mark off an assist from Barragan for a 2-0 advantage.
Best Haven
Westies top Green Knights
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 14, 2019) - After opening the 2019 season with a victory, the West Haven boys soccer team was looking to continue the run Saturday evening when cross-town rival Notre Dame visited Ken Strong Stadium.
Running out to a quick lead, West Haven had to rally after the Green Knights evened the score as West Haven defeated Notre Dame 3-2. With the victory, the Westies improved to 2-0 on the season.
Looking to set the pace of the contest, West Haven opened the scoring just 5 minutes, 34 seconds into the game when Brian Rivadera scored off an assist from Sebastian Nova. When Aldo Barragan scored on a penalty kick at the 34:41 mark, West Haven took a 2-0 lead to the half.
Notre Dame quickly forgot about the two-goal deficit as the Green Knights scored twice in a span of 3:17 to even the game at two. Nick Vitti scored both goals for Notre Dame, setting up West Haven’s late winner.
Barragan scored his second of the contest at the 62:48 mark, and just 5:23 after Vitti have evened the contest.
West Haven’s defense and goalkeeper John McLaughlin did the rest as McLaughlin finished with 10 saves in closing out the Green Knights.
Notre Dame held a 22-19 shot advantage in the contest. Zack Benson made eight saves in the loss for the Green Knights.
Westies blank Foran
McLaughlin makes 3 saves in win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 21, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team is off to just the start head coach Chris Cap could have hoped for. With another solid defensive performance, the Westies won their third straight contest to open the season with a 2-0 victory over Foran Saturday morning.
The shutout was West Haven’s second of the year as the Westies have allowed just a pair of goals this season.
The solid defensive effort led to just six shots by the Lions. West Haven goalkeeper John McLaughlin made three saves for the shutout, his second of the year.
West Haven scored the only goal it would need at the 10 minute, 7 second mark as Aldo Barragan found the back of the net. The Westies increased the margin to two goals 28:38 later when Brian Rivaderaset up Derick Meza.
West Haven, which took 11 shots, improved to 3-0, while Foran fell to 1-1-1.
Upper Hand
Tigers send WH to first loss of season
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 24, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team dropped its first contest of the year in Madison Tuesday evening. After allowing just two goals in the first three games of the season, West Haven gave up seven to Hand in a 7-0 loss to the Tigers. With the defeat, West Haven fell to 3-1 on the year.
Scott Testori led Hand with three goals, while Jason Wallack scored twice in the Hand victory. Testori and Wallack set the tone from the start as each scored twice in the first half for a 4-0 lead.
Testori started the scoring 45 seconds in, and added another at the 27:55 mark for a 4-0 lead. In between, Wallack scored twice (7:35 and 23:31).
Hand scored three times in the second half of the lop-sided victory. Eli Davis made six saves in the shutout for Hand as the Tigers held a 21-6 shot advantage in the contest.
John McLaughlin made nine saves and Brian Carew finished with six for the Westies.
Fit to be Tied
Indians even game late against WH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 26, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team moved to 3-1-1 with a 1-1 tie against North Haven Thursday evening in West Haven. After taking an early lead and playing with that advantage the majority of the contest, West Haven watched as the Indians tied the contest in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
West Haven against North Haven, September 26, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Junior Derick Meza gave West Haven a 1-0 lead 6 minutes, 35 seconds into the contest when he scored off an assist from fellow junior Aldo Barragan. Despite having 10 shots in the contest, West Haven could not find the back of the net again.
West Haven sophomore goalkeeper Brian Carew kept the Indians off the scoreboard and was inching closer to a shutout until Jack Pollard scored at the 71:55 mark to even the game at one. Carew finished with five saves in the contest.
Cheshire tops Westies
Rams post 7-1 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 28, 2019) - West Haven fell to 3-2-1 with a 7-1 loss at Cheshire Saturday evening. West Haven fell behind by three goals early and never recovered in its second loss of the season.
Aldo Barragan scored West Haven’s lone goal at the 39:56 mark to get West Haven within 3-1 as Cheshire scored three times in a span of 2:50 for a 3-0 lead.
Cheshire added four second half goals in the win. Jack Loura and Denys Fuentes each scored twice for the Rams. John McLaughlin made three saves and Brian Carew made two saves for West Haven in the loss. Cheshire held a 23-7 shot advantage.
Coginchaug slips past Westies
WH falls 3-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 30, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team fell to 3-3-1 with a 3-1 loss to Coginchaug Tuesday afternoon. West Haven held a 17-7 shot advantage in the contest.
Coginchaug jumped out to an early lead with two goals in the first 12 minutes, 19 seconds of the game. Max Temple gave the guests a 1-0 lead just 2:19 into the game and Anthony Gavrilovic increased the margin to a pair of goals 10 minutes later.
With West Haven’s constant pressure, the Westies cutthe deficit in half when Aldo Barragan scored off an assist from Adair Perez-Garcia at the 29:54 mark.
West Haven never got closer. Evan Hempel scored at the 68:51 mark, extending Coginchaug’s lead once again two goals.
Bounce back Effort
Westies blank Law
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 2, 2019) - Looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss just two days earlier, Aldo Barragan and the West Haven boys soccer team did just that.
Behind two goals from Barragan, a solid defensive effort, and a combined shutout from Brian Carew and Holden Axelrod, West Haven blanked Jonathan Law 3-0 Wednesday evening at Ken Strong Stadium.
Kevin Morales-Guallpa (9) against Jonathan Law, October 2, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Carew finished the contest with three saves and Axelrod had two as the Westies held a 14-11 shot advantage in the contest. West Haven improved to 4-3-1 with the victory.
Barragan gave the Westies a 1-0 lead at the 12 minute, 20 second mark, before he increased the margin to a pair of goals at the 31:08 mark off an assist from Sebastian Navarro.
When Derick Meza scored at 41 minutes, West Haven had more than enough cushion to post its fourth win of the season.
Westies blank East Haven
WH improves to 5-3-1 with 7-0 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 4, 2019) - After three losses and a tie over a four game span, the West Haven boys soccer team appears to be back on track. Posting its second consecutive shutout, West Haven improved to 5-3-1 with a 7-0 victory over East Haven Friday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Brian Carew and Holden Axelrod combined on the shutout with Carew finishing with two saves and Axelrod one. West Haven held a 15-5 shot advantage in the contest.
Kevin Morales, Eren Sarikaya and Aldo Barragan led the offense as Morales and Sarikaya each finished with a pair of goals, and Barragan had a goal and three assists. Sebastian Novoa added a pair of assists in the win for West Haven.
West Haven got going early in the contest and never looked back. Barragan opened the scoring just 1:09 into the contest, then set up Derick Meza 8:35 later. Eren Sarikaya gave West Haven a 3-0 lead off an assist from Isaiah Knight at the 32:54 mark, before Morales scored off an assist from Barragan.
Morales kept the momentum going in the second half with a tally off a feed from Barragan at the 47:02 mark, before Nova set up Brian Rivadera 13:09 later. Sarikaya scored his second of the game off an assist from Nova at the 78:45 mark.
Westies rally past ND
Late goals lead to 6-5 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 7, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team won its third straight contest in impressive fashion. Rallying twice, the Westies defeated Notre Dame-West Haven 6-5 at Veterans Stadium in West Haven Monday afternoon.
Brian Carew makes a save against Notre Dame, October 7, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Aldo Barragan and Kevin Morales each scored twice as West Haven improved to 6-3-1 on the year. Goals by Justin Pollio (9:42) and Tom Ellis (21:38) gave the Green Knights a 2-0 lead, before West Haven cut the deficit in half when Barragan scored 10:11 later.
Ellis scored his second goal of the contest at the 42:04 mark to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 3-1, before West Haven scored three unanswered goals for a 4-3 advantage.
Morales got West Haven within a goal at 48:06 off an assist from Derick Meza, before Meza scored 4:46 later to even the contest at three off an assist from Bernard Ocansey. When Barragan scored at the 54:30 mark, West Haven had its first lead of the day.
That lead was short-lived. Notre Dame’s Connor Naumann evened the contest 52 seconds later at 55:22, Ellis recorded his hat trick at 73:16 for a 5-4 Notre Dame lead.
With time ticking away, not only did the Westies even the game, but they pulled out the victory in the final 10 minutes.
Just 1:22 after Ellis gave Notre Dame the lead, Morales knotted the game for the Westies off an assist from Brian Rivadera.
A short time later, Sebastian Novoa put in the game-winner as West Haven won a thriller from its cross-town rival.West Haven held a 17-10 shot advantage in the contest. John McLaughlin and Brian Carew each recorded one save in the contest. Zack Benson made eight saves for Notre Dame.
Draw
WH and Foran play to 0-0 tie
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 15, 2019) - After an eight-day layoff, the West Haven boys soccer team was eager to get back on the field. Traveling to Milford to play Foran, the Westies knew they were in for a battle.
With a defensive game in hand, West Haven and Foran played to a scoreless draw at Foran High Tuesday evening.
The tie helped West Haven move to 6-3-2 on the year and was the team’s fifth shutout of the year. John McLaughlin, who has been part of three of the shutouts, made four saves in the draw for West Haven.The Westies held a 13-5 shot advantage in the contest, but Foran goalkeeper Luca Marinella made 10 saves to preserve the shutout for the Lions.
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Upper Hand
Westies blanked by Tigers
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 19, 2019) - The scoring drought continued for the West Haven boys soccer team as the Westies fell to Hand 2-0 Saturday evening in West Haven. The Westies, who fell to 6-4-2, managed just three shots in the contest, which Hand goalkeeper Timothy Perez denied.
West Haven against Hand, October 19, 2019, Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Hand, which held a 7-3 shot advantage, scored the only goal it needed at the 27:46 mark when Chris Porter found the back of the goal.
Brian Carew made four saves in goal for the Westies.
Blanked Again
Indians top Westies
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 21, 2019) - In the midst of a 3-1-1 stretch, the West Haven boys soccer team was looking to keep the season rolling along. Unfortunately for the Westies they ran into a tough North Haven team and fell 6-0 on the road Monday evening. With the loss, West Haven's third straight contest without a goal. the Westies fell to 6-5-2 on the year.
North Haven held an 18-12 shot advantage in the contest with West Haven goalkeeper John McLaughlin making 10 saves. North Haven’s Matt Casey finished with eight saves.
Kasey Mongillo scored three goals for the Indians, who jumped out to an early lead 6 minutes, 9 seconds into the contest on a goal by Mongillo. Mongillo scored at the 13:02 mark to sandwich a tally by Jack Pollard for a 3-0 advantage.
Rams top Westies
WH falls 2-0
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 23, 2019) - For the fourth consecutive game, the West Haven boys soccer team failed to get on the scoreboard. The Westies are 0-3-1 in those games and fell to 6-6-2 on the year with a 2-0 loss against Cheshire Wednesday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
The Westies looked to get back in the win column, but were unable to generate any offense with just six shots in the contest.
Isaiah Knight (22) against Cheshire, October 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
The Rams, on the other hand, had nine shots in the game and made the most of them as Francis Fritz scored twice for Cheshire’s goals. Fritz gave Cheshire a 1-0 lead at the 31:57 mark, then increased the margin to a pair of goals at the 67:11 mark.Brian Carew made five saves in the loss for West Haven, while Matthew Pisani made two saves for Cheshire.
Westies knot Law
Meza gets equalizer
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 26, 2019) - While the West Haven boys soccer team is still searching for its first victory in a handful of games, the Westies took a step in the right direction Saturday afternoon with a 1-1 draw against Jonathan Law.
The draw, which moved the Westies to 0-3-2 in their last five games, and 6-6-3 overall, was in comeback fashion.
After Law's Marcus Dostal scored at the 35:56 mark for a 1-0 advantage, West Haven pressured. That pressure finally paid off when Derick Meza scored at the 62:11 mark off an assist from Aldo Barragan.
West Haven held a 13-10 shot advantage in the contest.
John McLaughlin made three saves and Brian Carew made four saves in the draw for West Haven.
Danici Malkut made nine saves for Law.
Westies blank Yellowjackets
Several career firsts in win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 28, 2019) - Winless in five straight contests, the West Haven boys soccer team needed a big win before postseason play. The Westies got that win Monday evening.
Facing East Haven on the road, the Westies got goals from five different players in a dominant 5-0 win over East Haven. With the victory, West Haven improved to 7-6-3 on the year.
Brian Carew needed to make just one save in the shutout, while Jovan Loja, Sebastian Navarro, and Mario Acevedo each had their first career varsity goals, and Tejean Campbell picked up his first varsity assist.
After a scoreless first half, Loja scored off an assist from Luis Lopez at the 49 minute, 25 second mark for a 1-0 lead. Aldo Barragan made it a 2-0 game off an assist from Kevin Morales 1:40 later.
The Westies continued to pour it on when Bernard Ocansey scored at the 53:44 mark.
Campbell set up Navarro at the 68:18 mark and Derick Meza set up Mario Acevedo at 77:38.West Haven held a 32-2 shot advantage in the game.
Westies top NFA
WH advances to Class LL 1st Round
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 9, 2019) - The West Haven boys soccer team opened the 2019 postseason with a play-in contest against Norwich Free Academy Saturday afternoon at Ken Strong Stadium. In frigid conditions, the 30th-seeded Westies topped NFA 3-1.
West Haven topped NFA in the qualifying round of the Class LL state tournament, November 9, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
With the victory, West Haven advanced to the opening round of the state tournament against third-seeded East Hartford Monday afternoon.
The Westies had three different goal scorers against NFA and took a 1-0 lead at the 8 minute, 42 second mark when Bernard Ocansey scored off an assist from Aldo Barragan. NFA evened the game4:13 before the end of the half to send the contest to the break deadlocked at one.
Barragan gave West Haven the lead for good at the 67:13 mark and Derick Meza scored 7:44 later for a 3-1 advantage.
West Haven held a 14-5 shot advantage in the win with Brian Carew making just two saves.
Season Over
West Haven falls to East Hartford
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 11, 2019) - The postseason was not a long one for the West Haven boys soccer team. After topping Norwich Free Academy in a qualifying game Saturday afternoon, the 30th-seeded Westies traveled to play third-seeded East Hartford Monday afternoon.
Scoring twice in a span of 1:09, East Hartford ended West Haven’s season with a 3-1 victory in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament.
West Haven fell to East Hartford in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament, November 11, 2019. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Rajay Robinson gave East Hartford a 1-0 lead at the 13:28 mark of the first half, but that was all the host team could manage until the 42 minute mark. Ryah Dylan scored at 42:36 and Yaw Nimo-Aquare tallied again at 43:45 for a 3-0 advantage.
Aldo Barragan got West Haven on the board at 61:23, but the Westies never got closer.West Haven was outshot 16-8 in the contest with Brian Carew making seven saves in the loss for the Westies.
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