Conard defeated crosstown West Hartford rival Hall on Tuesday night, 1-0. 

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

Izzie Hathorn scored the game’s only goal in the second quarter and Conard held off Hall 1-0 in the regular season finale for both field hockey teams.

The game was a rematch of a September 1-0 win by Hall. On Tuesday, the two sides showed their best on offense and defense in the 60-minute affair.

“That was a battle today. We just couldn’t get one in the net,” said Hall coach Ellie Tate after the game.

“Going in we knew how strong Hall is,” said Conard coach Sara Witmer. “We knew what we had to do. So many of these kids know each other and have played together it was a matter of trying to offset each other’s familiarities.”

The best saves of the first quarter came from Hall’s Lily Mitchell who had a kick save followed by a blocker stop on a pair of early chances by Conard. Hall had the better of play in the opening 15 minutes, but never had a dangerous shot on goal. The Titans had a pair of early penalty corners in the second but came away with nothing to show.

Conard’s Katie O’Keefe and Merritt Harton worked a good passing play to set up a chance on goal but Mitchell of Hall was there for the save with 9:24 to go in the half. A little over a minute later, the Red Wolves’ pressure would pay off as they scored the game’s only goal. It began with a penalty corner for the home team that Mitchell made the initial save on. The ball went to Hathorn who knocked it into the empty cage for the 1-0 lead.

With time running down in the half, Hall was awarded a penalty corner but midfielder Berkeley Hess raced off the line and blocked the shot to end the first half. Hess was perhaps Conard’s top player in the game, playing a strong defensive game as well as contributing on the creation of offense. “She was lights out today,” said Witmer of her junior player. “She has been on top of her game the last few and is such an impact player.”

The second half saw both sides turn up the offense, with Hall getting a large number of penalty corner awards. It was Hall that had the best early opportunity, but it was Conard senior defender Kelsey Collard racing off the line, getting a stick on the ball, then carried it out of danger. “She is so composed and knows exactly what needs to be done back there,” said Witmer of the defender.

Hall defender Lucia Viggiano and forward Jane Hennessy – both captains – were standouts for the Titans with Viggiano not only playing good defense, but also getting involved in the offense. Hennessy used her speed and skills to quickly turn defense into offense for Hall. “We had good ball movement and speed today,” Tate said.

Gigi Smith has some strong runs for Conard, carrying the ball through and around defenders and creating havoc in the defense. While Smith was not able to score in the game, Witmer said, “I can’t say enough good things about her. Even when she does not score she creates so much opportunity.”

With the time winding down, Hall kept up the offensive pressure and Alex Bracken nearly tied things with 1:45 to go but her shot rolled past the post. The Titans did have one final chance – again a penalty corner – this time with 20 seconds on the clock. They got the ball where they wanted it, but the shot went wide of the Conard goal and time ran out.

“The last two games we have had important wins where we played well and have been focused on winning each play,” said Witmer.

The loss snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak dating back to Sept. 23 for Hall. “We are going to have tough games in the post-season and today’s game shows what we can do,” said Tate. “If we play smart, I think things could turn our way.”

Game notes

• Conard finishes the season 11-5-0 and ranked eighth in Class L after the game.
• Hall finishes 10-4-2 and ranked seventh in Class L.
• The Red Wolves end the season on a two-game win streak.
• Both teams qualified for the CCC Tournament, and should host their opening round games of the CCC Tournament.
• The clean sheet for Conard is its eighth shutout on the season. They scored at least one goal in every game except one.
• Pairings and times for games for the CIAC Tournament will be released Nov. 3.
• Hall’s loss was its first since Sept. 23 against Granby.
• It’s the only time this season that the Titans were shut out.
• The Titans scored 53 goals in their wins and ties combined this season.
• Three of Hall’s four losses were by just one goal each.

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