Soccer Teams Ready to Take the Field

The soccer teams at Ellington and Somers will hit the field for the first time today, hoping for successful seasons.

For Ellington, which finished 11-5-1 last year, eight lettermen – six starters graduated. However, several players will return.

Seniors Drew Cohen, a midfielder and forward, scored seven goals and had four assists last year. He was named to the All-NCCC team. Senior midfielder and defender Andrew Parker started every game and had two goals and an assist. Senior goalkeeper Kevin Stein shared goalkeeping duties last year in a season where the Knights had eight shutouts.

Seniors Zach Baskin, a defender, Cameron Mozzer, a midfielder and forward, Greg Ussery, a defender, Kyle Gresh, a midfielder, Kevin Arbeiter, a midfielder, and Stefan Amundrain, a forward, will also return.

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Juniors Jon Bassett, a midfielder and defender, and Nick Schipper, a defender, will also be returning for the Knights. James Costanzo, a sophomore forward, scored 10 goals and had four assists last season.

According to coach Roy Gurnon, the team’s strength is that there is a good nucleus of players who are returning. He added that they have a few players returning who scored some goals last year. In addition, while it is early, the leadership and chemistry seem to be there for the Knights.

Gurnon says that the weakness is replacing most of the back line, and the speed of play – which he feels could improve very quickly with better communication.

He says that Avon, Suffield, and Granby are the teams to beat because they have some key players returning and are perennially very good.

In Somers, the team is coming off back-to-back . For the Spartans, 12 lettermen – eight starters – graduated from last year’s team, but there are still 13 seniors this year.

According to new coach Rick Kelley, this is a cohesive group that will play very well together. He expects eight strong starters. There are also six juniors who he says look very promising.

“I expect many of the juniors to have break-out seasons,” he said.

Kelley says that there are six juniors, sophomores, and/or freshmen who will be swing players. There will be deep talent available to be pulled up to gain varsity experience this season.

Kelley says that the strength is the strength of the senior and junior classes in experience, tenure, and depth. It is yet to be seen who the goal scorers for the team will be. He believes they are a strong contender for the title again.

The weakness is the lack of returning starters. In his opinion, every team is the team to beat because defending state champions always have a target on their back.

Still, he feels it will be a great season.

“This is a group of hard-working players, who have experienced success in recent past, and they are extremely focused and hungry on proving themselves this year as a formidable team, continuing the tradition of success at Somers High School,” said Kelley. “I have high expectations of the juniors and seniors on this team.”

Girls’ Soccer

In Ellington, coach John Hostetler will be at the helm of a team that went 9-5-1 last season. Four lettermen – all starters – graduated from that team.

Captains for this team will be GiGi Rubino, a midfielder, and Rachel Ziter, a forward. Rubino was All-NCCC last season.

Also returning for the Knights are junior defender Olivia Kosilla, senior goalkeeper Kiara Stone, and sophomore defender Emily Costanzo.

According to Hostetler, the strength is that the team is very coachable and the weakness is that the team must gain confidence.

For Hostetler, he says that it’s great to be back on the Ellington sidelines.

“The kids have been great,” he said. “They are a positive group and are very excited for the upcoming season. We will have to play with great effort and togetherness to compete in the tough NCCC.”

The Somers team has a new coach in Mike Pantuosco, who will lead a team that only lost one player to graduation, but has lost several key players to injuries.

The team went 9-6-1 in the regular season and finished 10-7-1 overall.

Senior Kylen O’Hearn was All-NCCC last season and will join fellow seniors Kelsey Charette, Kathryn O’Connor, and Kelsey Sloan.

Juniors Hailee Stetson, Tori Laires, Julie Folger, Lisa Lorenzi, Kathryn Lavallee and Erin Pfeiffer will also return for the Spartans. Sophomores Jaclyn O’Grady and Sammie Percoski also return to the lineup.

According to Pantuosco, Caroline Gamble and Krista Lockyer will also be key players.

He says that the team returns with a strong, experienced defense and two leading goal scorers. O’Hearn will move from defense to midfield and O’Grady should lead a potentially strong offense.

“If the team can stay healthier than last year it could be a contender when the playoffs start,” he said. “Our goal for the season is to improve every week and see if that’s good enough for us to keep advancing in the State Tournament.”