The Conard boys lacrosse team hosted Tolland in West Hartford on Monday night, earning a decisive win.

By Jack Fitzgerald. Photos by Owen Ward Photography

Conard boys varsity lacrosse trounced Tolland 16-1 on Tuesday night and with the win, Conard advanced to 7-3 on the season and qualified for the state tournament.

Invigorated by last Thursday’s one-point loss to conference rival Southington, Conard produced a genuine team effort that saw 10 players score. Head Coach Matthew Cersosimo credits the team’s resilience for their success, “We hit a little bit of a rough patch … but to come back today and not overlook this opponent was really important.”

Conard hit the ground running when Seamus Tracy found Luke Shaffer for the goal on the game’s opening possession. Tolland (1-6) didn’t win a faceoff in the entire first period. This, combined with an offense sorely lacking in off-ball movement, contributed to their inability to get open looks.

Junior goalie Brayden Mangini saved Tolland’s first shot. On the ensuing possession, Brady Cersosimo made a pass to Aiden Emery for the long-range goal. 

Conard won the faceoff but quickly turned it over. Tolland tried to take advantage on a fast break, but could not penetrate Conard’s lockdown defense. Tolland goalie Andrew Szemreylo managed to save Shaffer’s next shot, but the Tolland defense’s inability to create turnovers hung him out to dry. Liam Alver passed to Shaffer, who cut in from behind the net to put Conard up 3-0.

Tolland, eager to make a play, fired an ill-advised pass, which Salve Regina-commit William Keever picked off. Shaffer took advantage and sniped one into the top left corner of the goal, mirroring his previous score. 

Nate Galloway and Anish Pokhrel won all but two of their faceoffs, keeping the pressure on the Tolland defense. Alver dished the ball to Shaffer, who passed to Keever at the top of the key. Seeing the defense overcommit to him, Keever swung it right back to Shaffer, who took advantage for the easy score, his third in two minutes.

Conard won the faceoff to start the second period, but Szemreylo kept the subsequent shot out of his goal. Before he even left his defensive zone, the Tolland defender found the ball knocked out of his stick. Nick Katsaros picked up the ground ball and punched it in to put Conard up 6-0. Conard won the following faceoff. Emery quickly drove left and bounced the ball in the corner, giving him his second score of the night.

After a Tolland time out, Conard won yet another faceoff, but an off-target pass that Cersosimo could not corral gave the ball to Tolland. Alver remained a thorn in the Tolland offense side, prying the ball loose multiple times. The ball went out on Conard, but Torin McGoldrick and Nolan Trent sandwiched the Tolland inbounder, launching the ball from his stick. Tolland recovered the ground ball, but Mangini was there for the save. 

Mangini launched the ball downfield to switch up the tempo, but the Tolland defender kept his man in front. Alver slowed it down, lulling his defender to sleep, before passing to Jordan Lawson, who fired into the top right corner for the goal.

Tolland got a save, but they were unable to retain possession. Off the inbound, Emery ripped one in for his third goal of the night. Alver passed from behind the net to Cersosimo, who caught the Tolland goalie out of position to extend the lead to double digits. 

With roughly 5 minutes until halftime, Tolland won its first faceoff, but the possession went nowhere. Sean Weber appeared to score, but the referee called it off due to a penalty. Emery quickly made up for it as his pass bounced off the crossbar into the stick of Cersosimo, who promptly scored.

With a minute left in the second quarter, after some great defense by Jackson Bouvier, the Tolland attack recovered his own turnover; the Tolland offense quickly got in position, and Ethan Kelley scored the Eagles’ lone goal of the night. Not looking to give up any momentum before halftime, Shaffer scored his sixth goal of the night, and Jack Doyle fired a shot that bounced off the turf several times before rolling in for the score. Conard went into the locker room up 13-1.

“I’m really happy and excited about the group,” said Coach Cersosimo when asked about the plethora of faces scoring for Conard. “They continue to practice hard, they continue to work hard, and they continue to believe in what we’re trying to coach them. They play the game the right way, for each other.”

Will Hall picked off Tolland’s pass to open the third, but McGoldrick had his shot blocked. With 5 minutes in the third, and for only the second time of the night, Tolland spent significant time on the offensive half. Unfortunately, most of that time was spent just trying to create space and recover ground balls, leaving them unable to get a shot off. Brady Cerosimo carried the ball upfield before finding McGoldrick unmarked yet again; this time, his shot found the back of the net.

The fourth saw Coach Cersosimo empty his bench. Matt Russo held strong in goal, making two excellent saves. Joe O’Connell’s score added insult to injury, extending the lead to 15. Nick Fleury scored with 22 seconds left to wrap up a dominant showing. 

Along with standout performances from Emery and Shaffer, Cerosimo praised his senior leadership for the victory: “It was great that we were able to get all of our seniors into the game. They work hard, they practice hard, they do the right things, and for them all to get into this game and contribute to a win that qualifies us for the state tournament is extra special.”

Looking ahead, Conard will host division rival Simsbury (6-3) on Thursday at 6 p.m. A win here could be a crucial step towards a conference title.

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