The Conard boys lacrosse team hosted Glastonbury in West Hartford on Thursday evening in the CCC finals.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Ryan Leef. Photos by Ryan Leef and Cole Schweiger

In a fierce Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) championship matchup, Conard fell short against Glastonbury with a disappointing 18-7 loss on Thursday night.

Conard struck first, with junior Brady Cersosimo finding the back of the net early off an assist from Nick Katsaros. The fast start stirred hopes of an upset against the No. 1 seed Glastonbury, but Glastonbury quickly answered with four goals in the first quarter, capitalizing on Conard’s low shooting accuracy and unproductive offensive possessions.

Just before the quarter ended, sophomore Ben Walsh restarted Conard’s momentum with a brilliant solo run all the way down the field, scoring an unassisted goal to bring the score to 4-2. The intensity and physicality on both sides didn’t let up in the second quarter, as both teams remained aggressive and the crowd continued cheering at every hit, save, and score.

After Glastonbury added another goal, Conard responded with a sharp finish by junior Torin McGoldrick, assisted by Brady Cersosimo. Though Conard found fewer scoring chances in the second quarter, its defense stood tall with a string of key stops and saves that kept the Red Wolves within reach by halftime.

The third quarter opened with a bang for Conard, which erased a 5-3 deficit in just 100 seconds. Cersosimo scored unassisted, then assisted senior Luke Shaffer to tie the game at 5-5. After a Glastonbury counter attack, Liam Alver followed with another Conard goal in the back-and-forth scoring exchange.

However, Glastonbury soon took over. The Guardians exploded for six unanswered goals in the final eight minutes of the third quarter, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown by Conard. The Red Wolves struggled to clear the ball from their own end, and these opportunities were pounced on.

The fourth quarter brought more of the same as Glastonbury extended its scoring streak to 10 goals, including three early strikes to begin the quarter. Conard, mired in a 17-minute scoring drought, finally broke through with a goal by senior Brendan Murphy midway through the period, but by then, the outcome was all but sealed.

After the game, Conard head coach Matt Cersosimo remained optimistic about his team’s effort and future.

“We need to stay the course. Keep fighting. Stay the course,” Cersosimo said. “That’s a great team, and we stuck with them through the majority of the game. We should have pride in our game and carry on to the next one.”

Despite the tough loss, Conard will have a chance to bounce back next week when they enter the CIAC Class L State Tournament, where they are a No 4 seed. They will host No. 13 seed Wethersfield on Wednesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. at Robert McKee Stadium. The Red Wolves defeated the Eagles 13-4 during the regular season.

The team looks to regroup and make a deep run, hopefully field by the lessons learned in this CCC championship game.

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