Bears are right in the Div. II mix
Play to a 1-1 tie with Waterford in ECC boys’ soccer match
Stonington — The unforgiving nature of the Eastern Connecticut Conference's newly aligned Division II has already been established.
As the season unfolds, however, it's not just newcomers Bacon Academy and Woodstock Academy which has the division upside down and sideways. There's also Stonington, a division regular, albeit a much-improved one.
Goalkeeper Joey Rosa finished with 15 saves and Jack Cullen scored the game-tying goal with 17 minutes, 50 seconds remaining Tuesday night as Stonington forced a 1-1 deadlock with first-place Waterford in double overtime at Palmer Field.
"We gave up the first goal, but they came right back and we fought even harder," said Stonington coach Paul deCastro, whose team is 4-1-2 overall. "... It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks (of us) ... we just wanted to be in the hunt, compete with all these really good teams."
Waterford (5-2-1, 3-1-1) remains tied for first place in the division with Woodstock Academy, while Stonington (2-1-2) and Bacon Academy (3-2) are close behind.
Stonington began its ascent last season when, despite having a young team, the Bears went 4-2 in the postseason with three victories on penalty
kicks, reaching the semifinals of the ECC tournament and the quarterfinals of the Class M state tournament.
That team included a freshman, R.J. Parrilla, who would make the varsity in all three sports his rookie season (soccer, basketball and baseball) and a sophomore powerhouse in Cam Whalen, who is one of the Bears' captains this season as a junior and one of the ECC's true standouts.
Stonington then started this season 4-0 with four shutouts, toppling St. Bernard (5-0), Westerly (3-0), Killingly (3-0) and last year's ECC Large Division champ Bacon Academy (10 in overtime). The Bears since lost a division game to Montville and tied Woodstock.
Credit the shutouts (and last year's penalty kick victories) to Rosa, Stonington's senior goalie, who earned the team's player of the game honors Tuesday night as he faced off against 18 Waterford shots.
"It was really exciting coming into this game. We were all motivated to play Waterford," Rosa said. "It's not the results we wanted; we had the opportunities to win.
"... It's been fun to see this (growth among the players). I wouldn't want to be on this field with anyone else.
“Last year we started off a little slow. We needed to build chemistry. Now we're just like a family. It's been great to play with these kids. It's an honor."
The teams were tied 0-0 at halftime Tuesday, with Waterford hitting a pair of line drives off Rosa early that deflected off the post.
Just 6:15 into the second half, Waterford connected, as all-stater Dan Castelpoggi put one past Rosa into the left-hand corner of the goal. Stonington tied it when Shane Smith worked to get a ball through the defense in the right corner and threaded it in front of the goal to Cullen.
Each team had a flurry of chances after that. Castelpoggi had a breakaway attempt with 7:25 remaining, but was met by a charging Rosa, who made the save, and Stonington's Harrison Hoops hit the crossbar. With about two minutes to play, a cross by Waterford's Walter Tineo was redirected and clanged off the right post. The teams played two 10-minute overtimes. "I think my boys competed very well. We were unlucky hitting the crossbar a couple times, but credit my guys for creating chances," Waterford coach Joe Mendonca Jr. said.
Both teams now have a break from division play. Stonington plays at Fitch on Friday, while Waterford faces likely its toughest stretch of the schedule with games against East Lyme on Friday, Old Lyme on Saturday and Norwich Free Academy on Monday. v.fulkerson@theday.com