The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Hand’s late goal ties No. 2 Xavier, ends 10-game win streak
MADISON — Daniel Hand sophomore Scott Testori’s goal in the 75th minute helped the fifthranked Tigers to a 2-2 tie against No. 2 Xavier on Tuesday night.
Testori, who scored both Hand goals in the SCC match at the Surf Club, blasted a shot past Xavier goalkeeper Christian Wade from the left side to end the Falcons’ winning streak at 10.
“We had a little lapse in the corner there and the kid buried it,”
Xavier coach Brian Fitzgerald said.
Henrique Araujo’s goal in the 73rd minute had given Xavier, ranked second in this week’s Class LL-L poll, a 2-1 lead.
The draw gave No. 5 Hand (7-2-1) a bit of upsmanship after suffering their only loss this season to the Falcons in the second week of the season.
“This was not one of our best performances, but credit to us after falling behind for coming back,” first-year Hand coach Greg Cumpstone said. “We held it together before getting the second one.”
Hand, which will be gunning for a third straight Class L championship next month, actually had a shot at a goahead scored in the final 95 seconds, but Cole Finke’s chance in front of the net was swallowed up by Wade.
Xavier took the lead in the 26th minute. Araujo won a 50-50 ball in his end and passed to Mike Salley, who sent it back to Araujo in the middle. The senior midfielder put a shot to the right of keeper Clayton Knibbs from about 15 yards.
Hand appeared to tie it in the 33rd minute off a corner kick, but the referee waved it off. Testori appeared to redirect a cross with his chest, but the ruling was that the ball had come into contact with his arm.
The Tigers’ equalizer came with a minute left in the first half. On another corner opportunity, Greyson McGeary passed his corner kick, got the ball back and sent it in to Testori, who snuck it past Wade.
“Scott is a special kid,” Cumpstone said. “Every-
one gets caught up in the goals, but it’s the work he does. He battles to win the second balls, he’s finishing better than he was and his link-up play and his play with his back to the ball are very good.”