Girls Soccer: Pomperaug 4 Bethel 0

The Pomperaug varsity girls' soccer team started off their season with a bang Tuesday afternoon, shutting out Bethel High School's varsity team 4-0.

"I think we worked really hard and fought for the win till the end," said one of Pomperaug's captains, senior Jackie Hlywa.

Pomperaug started the game off strong, with Alexa Jakiela scoring off of a pass from senior Abby Ruane within the first ten minutes of play.

Pomperaug controlled the field for the majority of the game, but especially during the first half.  Their strengths were on display even during a disqualified goal, when junior Korin Kowalasky managed to get the ball past Bethel's defense, their goalie and into the net when she was passing the ball from out of bounds. The goal didn't count because an offensive player didn't touch it once it was in play.

            The next goal came when after about 35 minutes of complete Panther possession when junior Julia Cipriano punched the ball hard into the center of the net off of a high feed from Brianna Curcio.

Pomperaug seemed tired out by the end of the first half, letting a ball or two go out of bounds or losing their sense of finesse and control. However, junior Taylor Fleming booted one in from almost midfield off of a pass from Casey Hutchinson.

During half-time, spectator Lew Hutchinson was impressed by the team's performance so far.

"The girls are playing well," said Hutchinson. "They're passing the ball well, and working as a team."

After Pomperaug kicked off the second half, things got a bit slippery on both sides of the field. There were a number of close calls, but no cigar: each team kept either mishandling the ball or missing an open shot, and nothing seemed to stick.

Pomperaug eventually nailed one down after Pomperaug senior Abby Ruane picked up a pass near the sidelines, brought it closer to the net, tripped up a defender and kicked it past the goalie for Pomperaug's fourth and final goal.

Bethel had a few opportunities as the end of the game drew closer, but Pomperaug's defense held them in check.

Though Pomperaug won the first game of the season on the road with a 4-0 shutout, Coach Doug Brocksmith didn't let the victory get in the way of the work the team has ahead of them.

"I'm a little unsatisfied with the way we played," said Coach Brocksmith.

"We didn't play to our potential. I've seen them play much better than this," he said.

Though there's work to be done over the course of the season, Brocksmith was still happy with the win.

"It's a good start and we're going in the right direction," said Brocksmith.

Team captain Jackie Hlywa agreed that there are things that the team needs to work on.

"Our intensity needs to be picked up, and we'll just keep working hard as we go along in the season."

Pomperaug continues its season at home on Thursday Sept. 16 at 3:45 p.m. against Stratford.