Steve Geoghegan, The Hour

Wilton upsets 3-time defending state champion St. Joseph in PKs

TRUMBULL — Losing on penalty kicks is probably the worst way in all of sports for a team’s season to end. And based on the Wilton High girls soccer team’s post-game celebration after its 1-1 (9-8 PK) victory over St. Joseph Wednesday, it just might be the best way to stay alive.

After Wilton’s Ashley Carbonier scored the tying goal with under 12 minutes remaining in regulation, Wilton and St. Joseph battled through two 10-minute overtimes before going to the 10th round of PKs to decide this Class LL second-round game.

And when Wilton’s freshman goalkeeper Erynn Floyd stopped a kick by the Cadets’ Ashley Collins, the Warriors were on their way to the quarterfinals, denying St. Joseph a chance at a fourth-straight state championship.

“You can train the girls and train the girls but in the end they’ve got to be mentally tough to win on PKs,” Wilton coach Renalto Topali said. “The only thing you can control is you and the ball. It’s all about mental toughness.”

The win lifts the 11th seeded Warriors (12-4-3) into a quarterfinal contest at home Friday at 2 p.m. against No. 19 Simsbury.

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Greenwich advances in Class LL with win over Shelton

GREENWICH—Greenwich senior Shoki Araki never forgot the mistake he made in the 2016 Class LL quarterfinals which he felt cost his team the game against Shelton.

Araki can now focus on another memory against Shelton in the state tournament.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Araki pounced on a ball misplayed by the Shelton keeper, scoring the first goal of the game.

The Cardinals would tack on another goal late as No. 16 Greenwich defeated No. 17 Shelton in the opening round of the CIAC Class LL boys soccer tournament Wednesday at Cardinal Stadium.

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Trumbull sinks Hamden on penalty kicks in Class LL first round

TRUMBULL—The Trumbull boys soccer team likes doing things the hard way. The Eagles posted quarterfinal and semifinal wins on penalty kicks on their way to the 2018 FCIAC Championship. And on Tuesday night in the rain, 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime weren’t enough for No. 9 seed Trumbull to vanquish a … Read more

Class LL Boys Soccer First Round – Trumbull 1, Hamden 1 (Trumbull wins 4-2 on penalty kicks)

Hamden 1-0-0-0 1 Trumbull 0-1-0-0 1 Hamden: Nic Antio Lewis 1g; Giovanni Morales 1a Trumbull: Jason Weinstein 1g; Andrew Restrepo 1a PKs Hamden: Jordan Pattavina and Hugh-John Dunkley Trumbull: Jason Weinstein, John Recker, Dom Zaleski and Justin Horvath Goalies H – Zach Lane 20 saves T – Chris Prizio 11 saves

Class LL Boys Soccer First Round – Staples 1, Darien 1 (Staples wins 5-4 on PKs)

Darien 0-1-0-0 1 Staples 0-1-0-0 1 Darien: Charlie Sears 1g; Connor Olson 1a Staples: Mauricio Inglada 1g; Vaughan Sealey 1a PKs Darien: Charlie Sears, Max Marcin, Will Henry Harmon and Connor Olson Staples: Surya Balaji, Austin Sholes, Nick DiMasi, Eleftherios Pendarakis and Rob Diorio. Goalies D – Aaron Sears 7 saves S – Ry Cohen … Read more