Weekly Recap: 10/29-11/3

Monday, October 29

Varsity Soccer vs. Wilbraham & Monson: W 1-0

Recap: Porter's Varsity Soccer completed their WWNEPSSA regular season on Monday evening knowing that a win would see them win their second regular-season title in three years. On a windy afternoon, the team took the initiative and tried to break down a hard-working and tenacious WMA side. Porter's Soccer found it difficult to find space centrally with 11 players behind the ball. The girls in green tested the keeper with quite a few shots from outside the area and came close on three occasions to scoring from set pieces. Early in the second half Gabby Owens '19 got on the end of a Laura Gouvin '20 corner to guide the ball into the corner giving the team a 1-0 lead. Gouvin '20, Carlyn Kosienski '19, Molly Andrews '22, and Kyla Gallagher '20 all came close to extending the lead. In a frantic atmosphere, the team did well to keep their composure and see the game out to claim the league title. Finding consistency throughout the season is difficult, especially in the away games when every team is fighting for points to take them into post season.

Wednesday, October 31

Varsity Field Hockey vs. Hotchkiss: L 0-7

Recap: Porter's put in a good effort against a dominating Hotchkiss team. Despite strong efforts from midfielder Rachel Hart '20 and defenders Natalie Brennan '20, McKenna Cutler '19, Jackie Witt '20, and Grace Bergin '19, the Porter's team struggled to find any offensive opportunities. Goalies Elizabeth Muller '19 (13 saves) and Kami Vigilant ('20) (8 saves) played hard in the net and both made some impressive saves!

Varsity Soccer vs. Hotchkiss: W 2-1

Recap: Porter's Varsity Soccer took the long bus drive to play Class A and Founders League opponents Hotchkiss. The girls in green knew how tough this game was going to be and was ready for the challenge against a team with many individual talents. Porter's gave an early ball away in a dangerous area but were let off, as the Hotchkiss forward could not hit the target from 8 yards out. After only 12 minutes Hotchkiss was able to switch the play from left to right and the same energetic forward found a gap between the center backs to give the hosts the lead. Porter's continued to find space in the attacking third and Kyla Gallagher '20 showed skill and determination as she guided into the area and played a perfect cross for Carlyn Kosienski '19 who made no mistake from 6 yards. The first half was very open as both teams looked to combine in dangerous areas, however with less than 30 seconds remaining in the half Laura Gouvin '20 played a pass in behind that caused confusion between the keeper and defender allowing Kosienski '19 to get her second of the game and 13th of the season.

The entire team worked hard to limit the home teams shots and showed tremendous desire to protect the lead. With seconds remaining Hotchkiss hit a powerful drive but Jenna Hall '20 pulled off a fantastic fingertip save to preserve the important Founders League win. Meghan Keating '20, Gabby Owens '19 and Katie Konin '19 defended very well as did Ana Bartkiewicz '20 who seems to get better every game. Kosienski '19 and Gallagher '20 look dangerous together each time they step on the field.

Varsity Volleyball vs. Hotchkiss: L 1-3

Saturday, November 3

Varsity Cross Country @ Founders League Championships: 7th Place

Recap: Porter's Cross Country team traveled to Taft on Saturday for the Founders' League Championship race. The conditions were far from ideal: the course was muddy in many parts from the rain over the past week, it was extremely windy, and the team was missing close to half of our runners. Despite these setbacks, the Porter's Cross Country team put forth an outstanding effort. We were still able to place 7th out of 9 teams even though we were missing five of our top ten runners. A special shoutout goes to Teagan Quinlan '22 who placed 13th overall in the girls' varsity race!

Varsity Field Hockey vs. Pomfret: L 0-4

Recap: Porter's started off strong in the first half, breaking up much of the Pomfret offensive pressure in the midfield. With ten minutes left in the half, Pomfret earned a corner and they were able to tip it past the defense into the goal to take the lead. Porter's responded with significant offensive pressure, but unfortunately, they were unable to convert their chances into goals. The second half started with balanced play from both teams and Porter's had some chances again early in the half. Despite Pomfret's 2nd and 3rd goals (at 19 and 14 minutes), Porter's continued to show a solid effort. Players Morgan Mastrangelo '19, Mel Belenardo '20, Gabe Brewer '19, and Clare Porter '19 had some nice passing and pressure on the forward line, while defenders Grace Bergin '19, Natalie Brennan '20, McKenna Cutler '19, and Jackie Witt '20 did their best to get the ball up to their forwards through the feisty and aggressive Pomfret midfield. Elizabeth Muller '19 tended goal in the first half, recording 1 save, while Kami Vigilant '20 defended the goal in the second half, recording 2 saves.

Varsity Soccer vs. Choate: L 0-1

Recap: Porter's Varsity Soccer lost their first game of the season against Class A and current Founders League champions Choate on Saturday afternoon. The girls in green were playing their third game in 6 days and had to dig deep physically and mentally against talented opposition. Choate started the game very well and put a lot of pressure on which resulted in hitting the crossbar twice, one of those efforts was tipped over by the impressive Jenna Hall '20. An early injury did not help as the team tried to regroup and slow the pace of the game down. The team showed more composure for the remainder of the first half and did a remarkable job of staying in the game when they were under a difficult spell. The second half was a more even affair and Carly Kosienski '19 tested the keeper from 20 yards out. Gabby Owens '19 had a point-blank header saved with 30 minutes remaining. In a game of small margins, Choate got on the end of a second ball in the 6-yard box to take the lead with 7 minutes remaining. The team should be proud of their effort and although they did not get the result they wanted they gave everything they had.

Varsity Volleyball vs. Convent of the Sacred Heart: L 1-3