The Conard girls soccer team hosted Maloney (Meriden) in West Hartford on Thursday night.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

If you are around sports long enough you will hear people say, “ they deserved a better fate.” That was the case for the Conard girls soccer team as they dominated the game against Maloney but had to settle for a 0-0 tie.

The Spartans nearly pulled off the last-second win when Morgan Marcus knocked in a rebound off an Evelyn Blake save with 15 seconds to play, but thee officials ruled that Marcus was offside and the goal did not count.

“They play a different style than we are used to,” said Red Wolves head coach PJ Louis. “I felt we took it to them for three-quarters of the game.”

The opening 20 minutes saw Conard control the ball, the flow, and the attack, forcing Maloney to play out of its own end and defend. Maloney goalie Kaylnn Acevedo had an early save with her foot and later Courtney McPhee let fly with a shot from distance that Acevedo knocked down before controlling it.

Over the final 20 minutes, Maloney found a better pace and was looking for Marcus on the counterattack repeatedly. While the Spartans did get some chances, Black, and defenders Lucia Sardilli, Paige Sweeney, Maddie Rogers, Brooklynn Knowles, and Eve Buczynski were on their game.

Much of Maloney’s attack centered on booming the ball over the top and trying to get Marcus the chance to get in position to get a shot. Time after time, Conard’s defense shut down the chances, leaving the Spartans to settle for low percentage shots.

“Our defense was good,” Louis said. “They only shot from distance.”

After the intermission Conard again came out with a stronger offensive game, but again could not find that final touch to get a goal. Less than nine minutes in it was Sydney Wilcox with a good chance to score. She pounced on a loose ball in the Maloney box, and Acevedo was able to stop the original try but could not control the ball. With Wilcox closing in for the rebound chance, Acevedo managed to smother the ball just before Wilcox got to it.

A little under halfway in the second half, Black had to race off her line to beat Marcus to a through ball to end a threat. Later it was Conard’s turn with Capone picking up a loose ball on the right side of the goal and as she moved in on the net and Acevedo once more had to come out to challenge. When she did, Capone sent a ball to the far side and a Maloney defender deflected it back out in front. Aubrey Corn got a good look at it but her rocket went wide of the net.

Much of the game was fought in the midfield with McPhee and Asha Comiso working hard to control the ball, using crisp passes and working well in tight spaces to get open. In the second half, as Conard pressed forward, Louis moved Sweeney into a shadow role with Marcus.

“They loved to capitalize on those long balls, and tonight we proved we could play in those kinds of games,” Louis said. Sweeney used her height advantage to beat Marcus to the high balls and used her body to shield Marcus from loose balls and stay between the attacker and the goal.

Maloney did manage several high, long-range shots on goal, including a 40-yard free kick that lined up with the middle of Black’s goal. The sophomore goalie displayed strong hands and good positioning as she was able to get her body behind the shots and catch them without any bobbles or drops.

The game nearly ended in defeat for Conard when with :30 to play they turned the ball over near midfield. As the Spartans quickly countered Louis was yelling for all of his players to spring back on defense. Before they could all get there, Maloney’s Aniyah Brown worked herself into a shooting position off to Black’s right. The goalie went low to push the ball away as it was ticketed for the far side, and Marcus was right there for the rebound, knocking it in. As the home crowd let out a collective groan, the referee signaled that Marcus was offside and the goal with :15 to play was wiped away.

Conard moves to 6-1-2 on the season – its only loss came in a 2-0 defeat to Hall. Monday brings a big test against Simsbury, and Louis knows there is one area where he wants his team to execute better. “In the attacking third, we have to be more dynamic and move.”

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