THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS
WestieBlue
BOYS SOCCER 2023
All-State Players - Luigi Cappetta '88; Eric Soares '97; Dave Forero '99; Carlos Caracas '00; Matt Gilman '02; Salah Oumorou '14, '15, '16; Donaldo Yanez '21
All-New England Players and All-American Players - Salah Oumorou '16; Aldo Barragan '20; Anthony Vendrella '20;
Westies blank Cross
WH posts 2-0 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 10, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team improved to 7-3-2 with a 2-0 victory at Wilbur Cross Tuesday evening. The Westies received a solid team effort in the win.
“It was a good battle that could have gone either way,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “It was great effort from Darwin (Calvopina), who was outstanding in net, and our backs, who cleared a few off the line.”
After a scoreless first half, West haven finally took the lead at the 62:37 mark with an unassisted goal from Matt Hunter. Bobby Severino added an insurance goal less than eight minutes later off an assist from Ethan Masoperh for West Haven’s eighth win of the year.
West Haven held a 6-5 shot advantage in the contest. Calvopina made three saves in the shutout for West Haven.
Hamden tops Westies
WH falls 2-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 13, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team fell to 7-4-2 with a 2-1 loss at Hamden Friday evening. After a scoreless first half, Hamden scored twice in less than 12 minutes in the second half for a 2-0 lead and never looked back.
The Green Dragons scored at the 43:40 mark, then added a second tally 11:55 later for the two-goal lead.
West Haven cut the deficit in half at the 64:36 mark when Caleb Awuah scored off an assist from Bobby Severino. West Haven never got closer as Hamden held an 8-6 shot advantage in the contest.
Darwin Calvopina made five saves in the loss.
Home Again
WH wins in return to Ken Strong Stadium
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 16, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team finally returned home. In its first game at Ken Strong Stadium, West Haven did not disappoint, rallying for a 3-2 victory over Guilford.
Rafael Gazcon had a goal and two assists, and Darwin Calvopina made 13 saves to preserve the victory. Manny Gordon and Walter Romero also scored for the Westies.
“It was a great win for us tonight,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “Darwin (Calvopina) played outstanding to keep us in the match.”
West Haven scored the first goal on the new field when Manny Gordon scored at the 13:05 mark off an assist from Gazcon. Guilford got the equalizer 6:53 later, and took a second half lead at the 52:20 mark.
The Westies then rallied, scoring twice in a span of 3:31 to take a 3-2 lead. Romero scored off an assist from Gazcon at the 66:50 mark, before Gazcon drained the winner off a penalty kick with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Guilford held a 16-14 shot advantage in the contest.
Gazcon leads Westies
WH tops North Haven 4-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 18, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team won its second game in a row and improved to 9-4-2 on the year with a 4-1 victory over North Haven Wednesday evening at Ken Strong Stadium.
Rafael Gazcon led the Westies with a pair of goals, while Walter Romero finished with a goal and an assist. Darwin Calvopina made six saves as the Westies held a 15-8 shot advantage in the contest.
“It took us a while to get on track tonight,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “We played well in the second half and were able to get the three points.”
West Haven scored the lone goal of the first half as Romero scored off an assist from Manny Gordon at the 24:01 mark. Gazcon gave the Westies a 2-0 lead 4:46 into the second half off an assist from Matt Panton, before Romero set up Ethan Masoperh less than three minutes later for a 3-0 lead.
After North Haven got on the board, Gazcon wasted no time getting the three-goal lead back when he scored off an assist from Bobby Severino 1:15 later for the 4-1 final.
Draw
WH and Shelton play scoreless contest
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 23, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team capped the regular season with a 0-0 draw against Shelton. The scoreless home contest moved the Westies to 9-4-3 on the year.
“This was a good warm up against a strong side to get us ready for the SCC and state tournaments,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said.
The tightly contested match swathe Westies hold a 7-5 shot advantage. Darwin Calvopina made two saves, and Yahzeel Beyley made three saves for West Haven in the shutout.
Draw
Westies and Amity play to 1-1 tie
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 9, 2023) - After two failed attempts to open the regular season due to weather, the West Haven boys soccer team finally got on the field Saturday when the team traveled to play Amity. I hot conditions, the Westies and Amity played to a 1-1 draw.
“It was a very evenly played game in very hot conditions,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “It was a fair result.”
In an evenly played contest, Amity held a 13-12 shot advantage. West Haven junior goalkeeper Yahzeel Beyley made 11 saves in the draw, while Amity’s William Keenan finished with eight saves.
Both goals came early in the contest as West Haven took a 1-0 lead when junior Ethan Masoperh scored off an assist from Rafael Gazcon at the 13:40 mark of the opening half.
Amity needed less than 14 minutes to respond as Erik Jiang scored the equalizer at the 27:25 mark.
Power Surge
Westies top Foran 6-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 12, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team scored five first half goals and picked up its first victory of the season with a 6-1 victory over Foran Tuesday afternoon.
Junior Keifer Tandazo led the Westies with a pair of goals, while Rafael Gazcon, Ethan Masoperh, Juan Vargas-Martinez, and Angel Magana also scored for West Haven. Masoperh added two assists, while Vargas-Martinez and Gazcon each added an assist.
“It was a very good all-around effort on our part,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “It was nice to get different players involved in the scoring.”
West Haven took a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the contest when Gazcon scored off an assist from Masoperh, before Masoperh assisted on Tandazo’s tally 5:35 later for a 2-0 advantage. Masoperh extended the lead to 3-0 with an unassisted tally at the 30:13 mark, before Tandazo scored off an assist from Gazcon 7:32 later.
An unassisted goal by Vargas-Martinez increased the lead to 5-0 less than a minute later, before Magana closed West Haven’s scoring for a 6-0 lead off an assist from Vargas-Martinez at the 57:15 mark.
The Westies held a 34-8 shot advantage with Yazheel Beyley’s shutout attempt broken up with less than 13 minutes to go. Beyley finished with two saves.
Two in a Row
Westies top Cross 2-0
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 16, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team improved to 2-0-1 with a 2-0 victory over Wilbur Cross Saturday morning at the University of New Haven. Ethan Masoperh and Rafael Gazcon each scored for the Westies, while Yahzeel Beyley finished with eight saves.
West Haven took a 1-0 lead when Gazcon set up Masoperh at the 27:37 mark of the first half. Gazcon then sealed the victory with 16:35 remaining in the contest, scoring off a penalty kick.
“This was a very nice team win,” West Haven coach Chris Cap. “Everyone stepped up.” West Haven held an 11-9 shot advantage in the contest.
Three Straight
Masoperh leads WH to 4-1 win over Hamden
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 19, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team is on a roll. Behind three goals from Ethan Masoperh, the Westies won their third straight contest with a 4-1 home victory over Hamden Tuesday afternoon.
In the three victories, West Haven has outscored its opponents 12-2. The Westies are now 3-0-1 on the year.
“It was a hat trick for Ethan (Masoperh),” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “All four of our backs had an outstanding game, including Manny Gordon, Malik Ouro-Adei, Collin Charron , and a special shout out to David Smith with his two assists.”
With an 11-10 shot advantage in the game, the Westies took a 2-0 lead in the first half when Masoperh scored at the 7:30 and 26:30 marks off assists from David Smith each time.
After Hamden scored 8:39 into the second half, Rafael Gazcon scored an unassisted goal at the 52:40 mark for a 3-1 advantage. Masoperh capped the scoring with a goal off a penalty kick with 7:34 remaining in regulation.
Yahzeel Beyley made eight saves in the win for West Haven.
Blanked
Guilford sends WH to first loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 21, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the season with a 1-0 loss at Guilford Thursday afternoon. With the loss, the Westies fell to 3-1-1 on the year.
“Our backs had a great game, making multiple saves off the line,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “Unfortunately, the one mistake we made hurt us.”
After a scoreless first half, Guilford’s Owen Medvecky scored an unassisted goal at the 71:42 mark for the only goal Guilford needed.
Yahzeel Beyley made four saves in the loss for West Haven, while Anthony Malatesta made four as well in the shutout victory.
Back on Track
Guilford sends WH to first loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 23, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team got back to its winning ways with a 2-0 victory at North Haven Saturday evening. With the victory, West Haven improved to 4-1-1.
Darwin Calvopina recorded the shutout in goal for the Westies with seven saves.
“It was another all-around nice team effort,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “Congratulations to Darwin (Calvopina) on his first varsity shutout, and Caleb (Awuah) on his first varsity goal.”
Despite North Haven holding an 11-7 shot advantage in the game, West Haven took a 1-0 lead with 1:34 remaining in the first half on a goal by Caleb Awuah off an assist from David Smith.The one goal lead held up until Rafael Gazcon scored for a 2-0 lead at the 56:37 mark off an assist from Daniel Cabrera.
Westies roll past Harding
Hunter, Romero score in 6-0 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 25, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team improved to 5-1-1 with a 6-0 victory over Harding Monday afternoon in West Haven. Ethan Masoperh led the Westies with two goals and an assist, Angel Magana had a goal and two assists, and Darwin Calvopina posted his second straight shutout with one save.
“We had a very nice second half,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “We moved the ball well and we were able to get different players on the scoring sheet. Congratulations to Matthew Hunter and Walter Romero on their first varsity goals.”
After a scoreless first half, the Westies blew the game open with six goals in the second half. Just 5:27 in, Rafael Gazcon gave West Haven a 1-0 lead with an assist going to Masoperh. Less than nine minutes later, the lead was two goals as Masoperh scored the first of his two goals off an assist from Foley.
Magana then set up Masoperh (61:45) and Walter Romero (71:20) for a 4-0 advantage, before Matthew Hunter scored an unassisted goal with 1:28 remaining. Magana closed the scoring less than a minute later off an assist from Romero.
West Haven held a 15-2 shot advantage in the game.
Westies blank Harding
WH improves to 6-1-1 with win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 27, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team is inching closer to a postseason berth early in the season. With a 2-0 road victory over Harding Wednesday afternoon, the Westies improved to 6-1-1 on the year.
“Harding out played us for most of the match, but our backs held tight, and we were able to get two late goals,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said.
West Haven held a 14-2 shot advantage in the contest and goalkeeper Darwin Calvopina recorded his third shutout of the year.
After a scoreless first half, West Haven scored the only goal it would need with 7:30 remaining in regulation as Juan Vargas scored off an assist from Ethan Masoperh. Matthew Panton added an insurance tally when he scored off a penalty kick in the final minute for the 2-0 final.
Shelton tops Westies
WH falls 3-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 29, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team suffered its second loss of the season in a 3-1 defeat at Shelton Friday evening. The Gaels scored twice in the first half and never trailed as West Haven fell to 6-2-1 on the year.
“It was a tough game to play in horrible weather,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “We made a few mistakes that hurt us.”
Walter Romero’s goal, off an assist from Rafael Gazcon, with 15 seconds left in the first half gave the Westies life, but West Haven could never get the equalizer.
Shelton scored in the final minute of regulation to seal the victory. The Gaels held an 8-7 shot advantage in the contest.
Darwin Calvopina made five saves in the loss.
Amity nips West Haven
Westies drop 2-1 decision
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 2, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team dropped its second straight decision with a 2-1 loss against Amity Monday evening in West Haven. The loss dropped the Westies to 6-3-1 on the year.
“We made a few mistakes that hurt us, and unfortunately we weren’t able to get an equalizer,” West Haven coach Chris Cap said.
The Westies took a 1-0 lead when Ethan Masoperh scored off an assist from Rafael Gazcon at the 16:32 mark. Amity then scored twice in less than a minute late in the first half to take a 2-1 lead the Spartans never relinquished.
Amity held a 10-9 shot advantage in the game. Darwin Calvopina made six saves in the loss.
Foran knots West Haven
Westies play to 1-1 draw
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 6, 2023) - The West Haven boys soccer team played to a 1-1 tie at Foran Friday evening. The draw moved the Westies to 6-3-2 on the year.
“It was a tale of two halves” West Haven coach Chris Cap said. “We played the best 40 minutes of the season in the first half. In the second half, they made some changes and put more pressure on us. It was a fair result.”
West Haven got on the board early and took a 1-0 lead when Juan Vargas took a 1-0 lead at the 25- minute mark off an assist from Bobby Severino. The lead held up until 24:25 remained in the game when Foran evened the contest.
West Haven held a 10-4 shot advantage in the contest. Darwin Calvopina made two saves in the draw.
Westie Blue © All rights reserved.