No. 13 seed Conard hosted Hamden on Saturday in West Hartford. 

By Paul Palmer

Nicole Gorman and Leah Williams each scored five times and the Red Wolves won their CIAC Class L Tournament qualifier 18-5 over Hamden.

“We were working as a team and just had great chemistry,” said Gorman, who is just a sophomore.

The visiting Green Dragons had both the first shot on goal and then the first goal of the game before Conard roared back with the next six goals. It was Gorman scoring the first two for the home team one minute apart, then Olivia Hole converted on the free possession. Williams got on the board at 18:55 when Ruby Czajkowski found her fellow senior open in front, and Williams made no mistake.

The fifth goal for Conard started with Czajkowski and ended with Gorman. Czajkowski darted for the goal but was turned back, as she retreated she found Gorman cutting into the middle for the score.

Dani DiGiacomo made it 6-1 before Hamden – coached by Conard alum Bri Grande – scored a second goal. Twenty-seven seconds after that it was Gorman scoring again for Conard, and four minutes later Maddie Sweeney found the back of the cage and it was an 8-2 game with 8:46 remaining until the intermission.

Conard showed a great deal of patience on both offense and  defense in the first half.

Conard continued to churn out the offense after the timeout with Gorman scoring as she came out from behind the cage. Williams then scored two showcase goals. The first came after she bounced off a bump from a Hamden defender and she scored her team’s 10th on the morning. She followed that with a nifty goal from the free position on a backhand shot.

Williams also had a strong day on the draw, giving Conard the attack over and over again. “We want to go as far as we can in this tournament,” she said. “As senior, a win means a lot to us.”

The Red Wolves held a commanding 13-2 win at the break with a dominating performance on offense.

They also got good goaltending from freshman Maya Nanayakkara who not only was making saves, but was also key in the transition game from defense to offense. “She has been a steadying force for us all year,” said head coach Meg Cersosimo of her goalie. “She is soft spoken but plays loud.”

Nanayakkara’s teammates also appreciate the effort she has made all season long. “She’s only a freshman and has been making big saves for us all season,” said Williams.

Conard (11-6) scored the first two goals of the second half before Hamden answered with a goal with  the player advantage and two  at even strength. The Red Wolves got the final two scores of the game from Teagan DiPippo who was moved up from her defensive spot to middie, and Hole who paid off some nice passing with a goal for the 18-5 final.

“The win and the game are a little bittersweet,” said Czajkowski, a senior. It was most likely 13th-seeded  Conard’s final home game of the year as they advanced in the tournament but with home field going to the higher seed.

“Every person played their game today,” said Cersosimo. “It all came together for us.” She also gave Gorman credit for getting the early goals that settled the team down after surrendering the first goal.

Conard will now meet No. 4 Ridgefield on Tuesday for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

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