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All-State players - Carlin Guarneri '96; Danielle Lacroix '99; Rebecca Sampara '07; Nicole Pacapelli '09; Gabriella Reis '11; Marisa Pacapelli '13; Marisa Pacapelli '14; Gabi Prisco '16
Retired numbers - Carlin Guarneri (Class of 1997) #1

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Two in a Row
Riccio, Smith lead Westies to win over Cross
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 6, 2017) - After four consecutive draws, the West Haven girls soccer team won its second straight contest.

Behind one goal and two assists apiece from Keegan Riccio and Erin Smith, and a goal and an assist from Kelsey Gilmore, West Haven rolled to a 6-1 victory over Wilbur Cross in New Haven Friday afternoon. 

With the win, West Haven improved to 4-2-4 on the season. 

















Caitlin Walker (21) and the Westies topped Cross, October 6, 2017. Photo courtesy Todd Dandelske. 

West Haven took a 5-1 lead at the half as it got on the scoreboard early. Riccio opened the scoring off an assist from Smith just 1 minute, 49 seconds into the game. The lead held at one for just about 14 minutes as Emily Merola set up Gilmore for a 2-0 advantage. 

















Sophie Valaitis (24) and the Westies topped Cross, October 6, 2017. Photo courtesy Todd Dandelske.

After Cross got within 2-1, Riccio set up MacKenzie Holy at 31:13 for a 3-1 West Haven lead, and Taylor Nowak scored off an assist from Riccio at 36:04. When Jessica Robinson scored off an assist from Smith 2:39 later, West Haven led 5-1. 

Gilmore set up Smith for the final goal of the game 6:03 into the second half. 

​Betsy Magana made one save in the win


Fit to be Tied
Indians tie West Haven
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 10, 2017) - The West Haven girls soccer team moved to 4-2-5 with a 1-1 tie at Guilford Tuesday afternoon. With the draw, West Haven kept rolling as it is 2-0-5 in its last seven games. 

West Haven took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by Keegan Riccio which was assisted by Kelsey Gilmore.

















Megan Froehlich (32), seen here against Wilbur Cross, and the Westies played to a draw Guilford Shelton, October 10, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

The lead was a short one as Guilford evened the game later in the half, but West Haven was able to escape with the draw. 

Alycia Morales made 10 saves for West Haven. ​


Westies top Lions
Guerrero's goal lifts WH past Foran
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 16, 2017) - The West Haven girls soccer team improved to 5-2-5 with a 1-0 victory over Foran Monday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. 

The win kept West Haven uneaten in four games, with three wins and a tie, and also improved the team's record. 

Alexia Guerrero scored West Haven's lone goal off an assist from Jessica Robinson.

Guerrero's goal would stand up as West Haven's Alycia Morales needed to make just two saves in the win. West Haven had seven shots in the contest.

"It was a good win for us," West Haven coach Pete Trenchard said. "Foran is pretty even with us, and we did well to get the win. "


Indians top West Haven
North Haven snap's West Haven's unbeaten string
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 20, 2017) - The West Haven girls soccer team saw its eight game unbeaten streak come to an end with a loss to Branford.

The Westies hoped to get back on the winning track, but, instead suffered a 2-1 home loss Friday evening against North Haven at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. 

The loss snapped a stretch of three wins and five ties, and dropped the Westies to 5-5-5 on the season. 

Betsy Magana and Alycia Morales each made two saves in the loss. West Haven had seven shots in the contest. 

Mackenzie Holy scored the lone West Haven goal off an assist from Keegan Riccio.


West Haven defeats Lyman Hall
Three second half goals key to 3-1 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 23, 2017) - Coming into the regular season finale with three losses in its last four games, the West Haven girls soccer team knew the importance of the contest.
Not only did West Haven want to get in the win column to snap the two-game losing skid, but the team knew a two week span awaited before its next game in the state tournament.
Scoring three times in the second half, West Haven defeated Lyman Hall 3-1 in a Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision contest at Ken Strong Stadium Monday evening.
“We will give them a couple of days off to heal,” West Haven coach Pete Trenchard said. “It will give the girls time to heal and recover. We have some girls who have some bumps and bruises and others who have not been feeling well. We will give them a few days to recover, then it will be going back to basics like a two-week preseason camp.”
West Haven (6-5-5) scored three times in the final 14 minutes, 21 seconds to seal the victory. Sophomore Taylor Nowak was the key piece in the initial goal as she carried down the right side then cut in from five yards out, sending a perfect cross in front which fellow sophomore Jessica Robinson directed in for a 1-0 advantage.
“In the second half, we possessed the ball,” Trenchard said. “Taylor (Nowak) went wide and sent a beautiful cross to Jessica Robinson in front and she (Robinson) was able to get it in.”
The Westies increased the lead to 2-0 just 2:31 later when Keegan Riccio picked up a rebound of a shot by Robinson and drilled a shot to the lower corner.
Lyman Hall (3-8-3), which saw its two-game winning streak snapped, cut the deficit in half with 4:49 to go and made the game interesting once again when Alexis Eaton tapped in a loose ball in front past West Haven goalkeeper Alycia Morales.
With the Trojans back in the game, West Haven ended any chance of a comeback 1:20 later. Mackenzie Holy set up a breaking Kelsey Gilmore who knocked a shot to the lower corner for the final goal of the game.
“This game was definitely important for us,” Holy said. “It gives us a chance to get a higher seeding in the states. I think we wanted it more in the second half.”
The four goals in the final 15 minutes of the game was a clear difference from the first 65 minutes when both teams battled for space and scoring opportunities.
Lyman Hall’s Marissa Guidet shot wide from 28 yards out to open the second half, and Ryleigh Shortell send a looping ball in from 30 yards out which Morales caught without allowing a rebound with 15 minutes remaining.
For the Westies, the second half saw Nowak shoot wide five minutes in, and Gilmore denied a scoring chance when Lyman Hall goalkeeper Hannah Blanchard dove to prevent a shot from 25 yards out with 26 minutes left in the second half.
“We needed some momentum going forward,” Trenchard said. “We have not been at our best and we wanted to finish strong. That means a lot.”
Julia Blanchard was stopped from 10 yards out by Morales 12 minutes into the contest, and Riccio hit the post for West Haven from 15 yards out with 7:30 left in the opening half.
Morales made three saves in the win for West Haven, while Hannah Blanchard made two saves in the loss for Lyman Hall.  

Lyman Hall coach Tony Crane had no comment following the loss.


Season Ender
WH falls to Trumbull in state tournament opener
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(November 7, 2017) - Playing for the first time in close to two weeks, the West Haven girls soccer team knew it was in for a test. That test happened to come against one of the better teams in Fairfield County. 

Traveling to play 12th-seeded Trumbull, No. 21 West Haven fell 3-1 in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament Tuesday evening. 
















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Keegan Riccio (17) and the Westies fell to Trumbull in a Class LL first round game, November 7, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 

"We played well against a very strong team," West Haven coach Pete Trenchard said. "We went toe to toe with them for most of the match, and we had a few chances to equalize late in the game when the score was still 2-1. Obviously, we are upset with the result and the fact that our season is over, but we can't be upset with the effort that we gave."

Kelsey Gilmore scored the lone West Haven goal and had the team in striking distance in the final minutes, before Trumbull added some insurance. 

















MacKenzie Holy (15) and the Westies fell to Trumbull in a Class LL first round game, November 7, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Betsy Magana (9 saves) was phenomenal in goal, making several outstanding saves for the Westies in the loss. 

Gilmore leads Westies
Junior scores lone goal in win over SHA
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 9, 2017) - West Haven coach Pete Trenchard knows his team will need to seek a new identity with the graduation of several key players. Wins in close games might do the trick. 

Juniors Kelsey Gilmore and Julia Walker made sure the Westies opened with a win. Walker found Gilmore for the only goal of the game with 14 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the contest as West Haven defeated Sacred Heart Academy 1-0 Saturday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in the season opener for both teams. 
















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West Haven celebrates Kelsey Gilmore's goal against Sacred Heart Academy, September 9, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 

"It's a great start to the season," Trenchard said. "We fought hard throughout the match. We were unlucky not to score earlier in the game, and our defense and goalkeeping was solid. We really limited their chances to a few shots from outside the box." 

West Haven received solid goalkeeping as Betsy Magana finished with two saves and Alycia Morales made one save. West Haven held a 6-3 shot advantage in the game.



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Taylor Nowak (33) against Sacred Heart Academy, September 9, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

After a scoreless first half, West Haven got the only goal it needed in the final 20 minutes. Off a free kick, Walker found Gilmore for the game's only goal.  

"Kelsey (Gilmore) finished well on the goal," Trenchard said. "Julia (Walker) got the ball in play quickly on a free kick, and Kelsey beat the defender and the goalie to lock up the game for us."

Carly Carchia made fives saves in the loss for Sacred Heart Academy. 


Perfect Start
Westies post second straight shutout in 4-0 win over Cross
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 12, 2017) - West Haven coach Pete Trenchard knew his team would be different this season. Two games in, Trenchard may be learning a little about the 2017 Westies. 

​Paced by a stellar defense and a balanced scoring attack, the Westies posted their second straight shutout by a margin of 4-0 over Wilbur Cross at Ken Strong Stadium Tuesday evening. 
















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MacKenzie Holy (15) scored one of four goals against Wilbur Cross, September 12, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 

"These are the games we have to win in order to get to the postseason," Trenchard said. "We got the job done tonight, and it's nice to have four different girls on the score sheet. Our defense did a fantastic job shutting them down, and we kept them under constant pressure to get the win. To start the season 2-0 is great."

Kelsey Gilmore, who scored her second goal of the season, MacKenzie Holy. Keegan Riccio, and Emily Merola all scored for the Westies in the win. Gilmore also added an assist, along with Selena Izzo, Taylor Nowak, and Alexia Guerrero. 
















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West Haven celebrates goal by Kelsey Gilmore (7) against Wilbur Cross, September 12, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

The Westies jumped out to a quick start, taking a 4-0 lead in the first half. West Haven held a 17-2 shot advantage in the game.

Gilmore got the Westies off to a quick start as she scored just 3 minutes, 22 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead.  Holy scored off an assist from Gilmore, and Riccio scored off assists from Izzo and Nowak for a 3-0 advantage. Guerrero set up Merola for a 4-0 lead at the 37:53 mark of the opening half. 

Alycia Morales and Mackenzie Gardner each made one save in the win for the Westies.


Guilford blanks Westies
Indians send WH to first loss of year
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 15, 2017) - West Haven coach Pete Trenchard had to be pleased with the way his girls soccer team started the season. But, if you told Trenchard his team would allow just one goal through the first three games, he may not have expected his team would have a loss. 

That, however, is the case as the Westies saw their string of shutouts end at two games. Guilford scored with 12 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game to top West Haven 1-0 at Ken Strong Stadium Friday evening. 

West Haven could not muster any offense, managing just four shots on goal. 

On the flip side, Guilford had five shots and beat West Haven goalkeeper Betsy Magana the one time it needed to post the victory. 

Magana finished with four saves in the game. 


Westies shut out by Mercy
WH falls to 2-2 on season
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 18, 2017) - The tides have been turned on the West Haven girls soccer team. After opening the season with a pair of shutout victories, West Haven has been blanked the last two games. 












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Alycia Morales makes a save against Mercy, September 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 

The latest shutout came Monday afternoon in Middletown as West Haven fell to Mercy 2-0. With the loss, West Haven dropped to 2-2 on the season. 








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Julia Walker (8) Leads the attack against Mercy, September 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Lindsay Stevenson scored both Mercy goals to propel the Tigers to the victory. Mercy controlled the game with 19 shots, while the Westies were only able to manage four shots in the game. 


Westies tie Foran
Gilmore scores lone goal in 1-1 tie with Foran
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 20, 2017) - Looking to snap a two-game losing streak, the West Haven girls soccer team traveled to Milford Wednesday afternoon to face Foran-Milford. West Haven also had not scored in the last two contests. 

















Betsy Magana made eight saves against Foran, September 20, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. ​

The Westies took a step in the right direction, using a Kelsey Gilmore goal to play to a 1-1 tie with Foran at Foran High. As a result, the Westies moved to 2-2-1 on the season. 

















Kelsey Gilmore (7) scores against Foran, September 20, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.​

The two teams traded first half goals to play to the draw as Foran used a tally by Ariana Montero, off an assist from Anna Lee Melton, and West Haven used a goal by Gilmore to get on the scoreboard. 

West Haven's Betsy Magana made eight saves in the draw. Madeline Mitchell made two saves for the Lions.


Westies tie Branford
WH plays scoreless contest with Hornets
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 23, 2017) - The West Haven girls soccer team has been one of streaks this season. Two wins were followed by a pair of losses, and now a pair of ties.

The Westies saw their record move to 2-2-2 with a scoreless tie against Branford Saturday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.  

"We played very well tonight," West Haven coach Pete Trenchard said. "Branford is a solid team that is always tough to play against."

Both goalkeepers played well in the game as Alycia Morales made six saves for West Haven and Nina Grabowiecki- made seven saves for Branford.
"Alycia had some key saves to keep us level, and we really forced their goalie to play her best," Trenchard said. 


Westies tie Trojans
Gilmore scores in draw
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(September 29, 2017) - The West Haven girls soccer team has been consistent. That consistency has been on the scoreboard.

Two wins and two losses started the season, and now the Westies have tied four straight contests.

















West Haven celebrates a goal by Kelsey Gilmore against Lyman Hall, September 29, 2017. Photo courtesy Todd Dandelske. 

​Following a 1-1 tie against North Haven Monday afternoon in which Keegan Riccio scored off an assist from MacKenzie Holy, West Haven traveled to play Lyman hall Friday afternoon in Wallingford. 

Trailing by a goal, West Haven used a tally by Kelsey Gilmore, off an assist from Taylor Nowak, to even the Trojans at one. The draw was the fourth in a row for the Westies and moved their record to 2-2-4. 











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Keegan Riccio (17)​ against Lyman Hall, September 29, 2017. Photo courtesy Todd Dandelske.

West Haven had 10 shots in the game, while limiting Lyman Hall to just three. 

Betsy Magana made two saves in the draw. 


Westies drop Sharks
Holy and Gilmore key West Haven win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(October 2, 2017) - After four consecutive draws, the West Haven girls soccer team finally got back in the win column.

MacKenzie Holy and Kelsey Gilmore each scored twice, Megan Froehlich added tree assists, and Alycia Morales made two saves to post a shutout as West Haven traveled to Hamden and defeated Sacred Heart Academy 5-0 Monday afternoon. 

With the victory, West Haven picked up its first victory in six games and improved to 3-2-4 in the process. 

Holy gave West Haven a 1-0 lead 12 minutes, 15seconds into the contest with an unassisted goal, before Froehlich set up Gilmore 2:54 later. 

Holy gave the Westies a 3-0 advantage at the 18:10 mark, and Froehlich set up Taylor Nowak 1:26 later for a 4-0 advantage. 

Off an assist from Froehlich, Gilmore gave West Haven a 5-0 lead 14:45 into the second half. 

GIRLS SOCCER 2017