Field Hockey: Adamo's Late Goal Lifts South Windsor Over Simsbury

In a thrilling regular season finale featuring two state Class L tournament contenders, the South Windsor High field hockey team defeated Simsbury 4-3 in overtime on a cold Monday afternoon.

Katherine Adamo scored the game winner off an assist from Marykate Custer with just 5 seconds left in overtime to lift the Bobcats to the victory.

The final goal - which was preceded by a frantic 7-on-7 overtime period in the gloaming thanks to Daylight Saving Time - represented an apt finish to a wild game.

Kelly Knisel opened Simsbury’s account at 23:08 off an assist from Ari Arciero. But instead of wilting in the frigid temperatures, South Windsor roared back with two consecutive goals - one from Kat Adamo unassisted at 12:58, the other from Becca Schroder at 6:37 - to give the Bobcats a 2-1 advantage going into halftime.

Jaime Matson, Simsbury’s talented forward, brought the Trojans level at 2-2 with some hard work in front of the cage with 26:22 left in the second half.

Angie King gave South Windsor the lead again at 16:35 with a rocket of a shot from 10 yards out that Simsbury was helpless to defend against. The shot was, for lack of a better term, breathtaking - so much so that there was a moment’s pause when the players looked at one another to see if: 1. it really happened; and 2. it was legal. The answer to both queries was yes, making it the rare goal that people would pay money to see.

Rare, perhaps, but nearly equalled in degree of difficulty by Simsbury’s Madeline Nicholson, whose own laser shot off a corner from the left side at 15:01 again tied the score, this time at 3-3. It was a stunning turn of events for South Windsor, who managed to regroup despite Simsbury’s late pressure to force the game into an extra frame.

All of which set up Adamo’s heroics in the waning moments of overtime, when both teams were headed for a draw.

And despite Simsbury head coach Brooke Bulmer calling the game “frustrating,” there were still plenty of positive things to take away from the match, not least of which was that the Trojans (13-2-0-1), the CCC West champions, went toe-to-toe with the CCC East champions on the road and on natural turf (Simsbury plays on artificial surface) and nearly stole a victory.

“We are not a grass field team,” Bulmer said.

Bulmer said that she feels her team is ready for the state tournament - they currently are ranked third in Class L prior to the seedings.

With victories over Glastonbury, Granby and Simsbury, South Windsor head coach Jen Bolduc said that she believes her team has turned a corner.

“I told my girls from day 1, when you play like a team, you make good things happen,” said Bolduc, whose Bobcats improved to 12-3 on the year and is seventh in the state Class L rankings.