West Hartford crosstown rivals Hall and Conard met Friday in any early-season match-up.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

The Hall Titans used first half goals from Kyra Baun and Aliza Schleif to stay perfect with a 3-1 win over crosstown rival Conard on Friday night.

The Red Wolves’ (0-2) lone goal came on a 45-yard free kick by Paige Sweeney. Elsie Muska scored the third goal of the game  for Hall.

The host Red Wolves had the better of play over the first 10 minutes, keeping the ball in the attacking zone, but not getting any dangerous shots on Annabelle Butterfield in goal. The solid midfield play of Jackie Capone helped Conard to maintain possession and make some good passes. “Midfield is where we need to control the ball and change the point of attack,” said Conard coach PJ Louis.

Hall started to assert itself on offense about 15 minutes in and kept applying the pressure on Conard’s defense. Baun was a difference-maker along the left sideline. She was frequently the target of the pass in transition and use her speed, strength, and skills to work past defenders and put herself in position to make dangerous passes and get off shots on goal.

“She has been playing forward because she is so dangerous,” said her coach, Scott Ferguson. “She doesn’t stop running.” It was running that the gave her team the game’s opening goal.

Off a turnover on the right side, the Titans went into transition. Schleif saw Baun sprinting forward and cutting to the middle of the field. The junior midfielder hit a through ball that Baun was able to run onto and carry into the box. She hit a perfectly placed shot to the far post that Conard goalie Evelyn Black had no chance on for the 1-0 lead just over 16 minutes into the game.

The Titans kept up the pressure, and Baun had another great chance from in front but her shot went high over the crossbar.

Four-and-a-half minutes after the first goal, Hall would strike again. A poor clear by Conard on a goal kick put the ball back into the possession of Hall. This time it was Schleif getting the pass and finding the back of the net for to double the lead.

Sweeney nearly cut the lead in half with 11:35 to play when she put a free kick on goal that Butterfield was able to control. It was Conard’s first possession over midfield in almost 20 minutes of play.

Black would be called on one more time with just over a minute to go as she went all out to her right to push aside a shot ticketed for the lower corner. “We didn’t move the ball well,” Ferguson said of his team. “Give Conard credit, they pressured us all game long.”

The second half started much like the first with the Red Wolves controlling most of the play, but not having anything to show for it. Hall’s best chance early on came off a corner kick. Alex Ackerman’s initial ball was not backed out to her and she sent a perfect pass across the front of the Conard goal that was just inches away from Schleif’s touch at the far post.

Conard’s backline was solid in much of the second half covering in man-to-man and also rotating coverage when needed. Brooklynn Knowles, Sweeney, Annabel Tracy, and Eve Buczynski were in sync and stepped up to stall and shut down offensive pushes by Hall.

Just under 10 minutes in it was Sweeney scoring Conard’s first goal of the game and the season. The play started innocently enough with a free kick from long range. She hit a high, lofting ball towards the right side of the net that Butterfield seemed to have in her sights. But as it came down it squirted through the goalie’s arms and legs to roll across the line to make it 2-1.

Thirteen minutes later Sweeney tried to repeat the magic on another long kick, but this time the ball was headed down on goal and Butterfield was there to secure it.

Muska’s goal would be the final one of the match and came with 17 minutes to play. A Hall player sent a ball across the face of the goal from right to left. It went by several players until Muska had it on her foot and without any pressure on her, one-timed it through the legs of Black for the 3-1 goal.

“Hall/Conard is emotional for everyone and there was a lot of physical, clean play,” Ferguson said after the win.

He was also pleased with the play and leadership of Sienna Calabro at center back. The coach said she is carrying on a strong tradition of play at the position at Hall, and helping the next center back in line get ready to take over after Calabro graduates. “Sienna tells us what to do back there. She has a sophomore in Lexi (Alexa Reilly) as her partner right now.”

Despite the two losses to open the season, Louis sees good things ahead for his squad as they move forward in the season. “Today we had a lot of energy. We’re gonna improve throughout the year. We created more with the ball tonight,” he said.

Conard is back in action Tuesday when they host Bristol Eastern. Hall is at Tolland on Tuesday and hosts Farmington on Friday in what should be a pair of very entertaining games. The latest rankings have Hall at sixth and Farmington in fifth in Class LL. Tolland is fifth in Class M with a 2-0 start on the season. Farmington fell in the quarterfinals in the State Tournament last season while Tolland lost in the Class M final.

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