Conard and Hall Fall Sports Playoffs: Results and Images - We-Ha

Athletes at West Hartford’s Hall and Conard high schools participated in playoffs for fall sports last week.

By Ronni Newton, Volleyball photos by Betsy Mayuri

Boys and girls soccer, field hockey, and volleyball teams at both Conard and Hall all earned spots in the fall 2017 state divisional playoffs.

Although most of the teams made an early exit, ending their seasons after first round play, the contests were hard-fought and many of the losses were by only one goal.

The Hall boys soccer team, a no. 8 seed hosting no. 25 Wilbur Cross on Nov. 6, wasn’t able to score on a rainy and windswept evening, but strong defense by both teams kept the game tied at 0-0 after double overtime.

The game was decided on penalty kicks, with Wilbur Cross notching the win 4-2.

Conard’s boys soccer team played the same evening, with the 15th-seeded Chieftains hosting no. 18 Southington on its West Hartford turf in the third meeting of the season for the teams.

Southington scored on a header in the first half to take a 1-0 lead. With 17:10 left in the first half, the Southington goalie deflected a penalty kick attempt by Aidan O’Brien, sending the ball in the direction of Cameron Orentas who knocked it in to tied the game.

With 13:54 left in the game, Southington scored on a penalty kick, taking a 2-1 lead which they held for the rest of the game.

For the first time in decades both the Conard girls and boys soccer teams earned first-round home games, and the Conard girls took to the turf at McKee Stadium on a chilly Election Day afternoon, the no. 13 seed hosting no. 20 Fairfield Ludlowe.

In a strong defensive battle, the score remained tied at 0-0 heading into overtime, where Ludlow managed to score, winning 1-0.

The Conard volleyball team had the longest run in the state tournament. As a no. 20 seed, the Chieftains beat no. 13 New Britain 3-1 in first-round action, and beat no. 4 seed Hamden 3-2 in the second round, before being bested 3-0 by no. 5 seed Amity in quarterfinal action on Saturday.

The Hall volleyball team, seeded no. 17, traveled to no. 16 seed Stamford High School where they lost 3-0.

Hall’s field hockey team, seeded 12th, faced perennial powerhouse Darien, a no. 5 seed. The Warriors lost 6-0 to a Blue Wave team that powered through the rest of its opponents and will contend for the Class L state championship against Staples on Saturday.

As a no. 18 seed, the Conard girls field hockey team traveled to Ridgefield for a play-in game, where they lost to the no. 15 seed Tigers 4-1.

Cross country and girls swimming post-season action follows a different format, and will be the subject of a separate article.

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Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Hall vs. Wilbur Cross in first round of Class LL playoff. West Hartford. Nov. 6, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton