New Canaan's 2006 Red Girls Soccer Team Clinches Big Wins & Advances In CT Cup!

2006 Red Clinches Big Wins & Advances In CT Cup

—submitted by Nadine Finnerty

The 2006 Red Girls soccer team, coached by Luke Green, continued their winning streak on home turf by clinching a hard fought 2-1 overtime win against the Burlington Blaze on Saturday. It is their second CT Cup win, which advances them to the next round. Hot off the big win, they went up against a tough Ridgefield team on Sunday and prevailed again, with an impressive 4-2 victory. This team is fierce – and one to watch as the season unfolds.

Photo 1: Hadley Walker determined to get it to the goal. Credit: Brian Bennhoff

On Saturday, the competition came to play. New Canaan did too. After all, it was a CT Cup game on home turf. The fields were lined full of families and fans cheering them on. The team started strong, controlling the ball early and taking the first several shots on goal. Just a few minutes into the game, Emma Finnerty scored the first goal for New Canaan with a shot just left of the goalie’s reach, after receiving a great pass from Kailee See.

Burlington wanted it back badly and turned up the heat quick. As they kept the pressure on, standout defense from New Canaan came from all angles – including Katie Quill, Lila Gizzie, Kathryn Norton, Devon Russell, Amanda Vigano and Grace Driscoll. Then Burlington got a breakaway and evened the score 1-1 with a shot to the top of the net. The pressure only mounted from there. Both teams were vying for the lead. New Canaan kept passing well, setting up great shots by Summer Achille, Delaney Bennhoff, Finnerty, Russell and See. Maeve Hibbert was strong in goal, making several key saves versus a strong Burlington offense. The half ended tied 1-1.

Photo 2: Delaney Bennhoff dribbling through defenders and speeding up for a breakaway shot. Credit: Brian Bennhoff

In the second half, the intensity continued as both teams fought hard offensively and defensively. New Canaan powered to the goal early thanks to notable plays by Quill and Norton, and strong mid-field play by See and Hadley Walker. But Burlington kept blocking shots. Finnerty, Achille and Quill were relentless, but scoring seemed elusive. Burlington then got a penalty kick which could have given them the lead, but Gizzie saved it and blocked three more to end the game tied 1-1.

A 20-minute overtime began with both teams determined to win. A few minutes in, Finnerty’s corner kick centered the ball in front of Burlington’s goal. Both teams fought for it and then Walker scored with an amazing shot over the goalie’s head. New Canaan gained the lead 2-1 and kept up strong defense. Burlington got a corner kick in the last minute, but Gizzie had an incredible jump save to lock in the win! The game ended as 2-1 New Canaan victory.

Photo 3: Kailee See making a great clearing pass in overtime. Credit: Brian Bennhoff

On Sunday, the team came out blazing again. In the first five minutes, Lila Gizzie scored the first goal against Ridgefield after a beautiful pass from Kailee See. The early 1-0 score got their attention and Ridgefield stepped up the pressure fast. Maeve Hibbert, Kathryn Norton, Katie Quill and Amanda Vigano held strong on defense. The offense responded with several more shots and Nikki Ferraro scored the second goal after a great pass from Devon Russell. In goal, Emma Finnerty had several good saves to keep the score to 2-0 at the half.

Photo 4: Nikki Ferraro winding up and ready to strike the ball into the net for her first goal of the game. Credit: Darleen Ferraro

Early into the second half, Ridgefield got a penalty kick in the box off a hand ball and scored, bringing it to 2-1. Shortly after, New Canaan got the same and Ferraro scored her second goal and the team’s third. Now it was a 3-1 lead. After aggressive back and forth play, Ridgefield scored late in the half with an unstoppable shot. This brought the score to 3-2. It was an intense last few minutes as both teams dug deep. Norton had four great saves in goal to protect the lead. Then Russell delivered a perfect shot to the far right of the net, bringing New Canaan up to a 4-2 lead. This was the final score for the ultimate win!

Photo 5: Devon Russell doing what it takes to stop the ball from getting to her opponents. Credit: Darleen Ferraro