After a decisive win at home vs. Northwest Catholic on Wednesday, West Hartford’s Hall High School lost to Lewis Mills, 2-1, on Senior Night.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Madison Geraghty and Hadley Smith. Photos by Craig Rosenberg 

On Friday night, Hall boys varsity soccer honored their seniors and what they have done for this program – before engaging in a heated match against Lewis Mills at 6 p.m that ended in a 2-1 loss for the Titans.

Head coach Zeke Seguro reported how this graduating class is great and the team “would’ve loved to win for them … but the most important thing is that we honor them.” Starting the game with a full roster of seniors brought together the spirit of this game and gave all of them a chance to play alongside each other once again.

While Friday’s game did not end with the outcome Coach Seguro expected, after an 11 games without a loss dating back to Sept. 8, when they lost to Farmington 5-1, he said the team needed a loss to “fuel the fire” in advance of meeting crosstown West Hartford rival Conard to close out the regular season.

Hall won 3-0 at Conard’s home field the last time they faced off, and now they meet again on Tuesday – but something is different this time. Conard (5-9-1), coming off a 6-1 win against Bristol Central on Friday night, needs the win to move them into the state tournament, so Hall knows they will come out hungry. Fresh after a loss, Hall hopes to use this fuel to work on their execution and finishing for a better result in the next game. 

During the first half of Friday night’s game, no one team controlled the field. The score remained 0-0 the entire half, and both teams battled for possession.

Hall had a rough start with being able to finish and make solid plays with good passing combinations. However, captain Benjamin Goldstein (5) held it steady in the back; he acted as a sweeper and got back for all balls that got past the team. He used his body very well to protect the ball and redistribute it to his teammates. There was a common pattern that those long throw-ins that Zachary Debin (13) is known for got headed out by Lewis Mills almost every time. Hall couldn’t seem to get to these balls.

Aidan Winiarski (7) sent one in with 23:28 in the first half, but the goalie got his hands on it. After the rocky start, Hall found their rhythm with great combinations and technicality in the midfield. Lewis Mills had the determination to win this game and put high pressure on Hall’s goalkeeper, Rodrigo Ballesteros (0).

The second half wasn’t completely dry. Captain Liam Deloreto had the ball stuck to his feet when he made his way into the box. He attempted to find Winiarski for a tap-in, but the ball was long. With a few minutes left, Diego Lemes de Souza (10) took a powerful shot on goal that just missed over the top left corner. 

Lewis Mills seemed angry they weren’t winning. This half was full of high-intensity moments with both teams burning with energy. When it started, unfortunately, Ballesteros tapped in a throw-in from Lewis Mills for an own goal. This brought the score to 1-0 with 36:53 left.

The second half cannot be described without referencing junior Grady Doyle (15). He is becoming a key player in Seguro’s rotation, making himself indispensable as a tool for redirection and movement. And de Souza, a consistently technical player, demonstrated this with his unmissable cross in the air that almost ended up with Hall, but Lewis Mills was first to it once again.

With 32:54 on the clock, Lewis Mills made a tough mistake with a handball in the box, leaving Deloreto with a PK that could decide the fate of the game. All eyes were on him, and he sent it down the middle, leveling the score 1-1.

This goal recharged Hall’s energy and gave them hope. With this newfound energy, Hall put on a show, Ballesteros slid out for a tackle on an incoming striker and when Lewis Mills shot again, he managed to get back and punch the ball over the net within a few seconds.

Although both teams were working hard, Lewis Mills found the back of the net again with their favorite, a header, off a corner. This brought the score to 2-1 with 28:46 left.

The energy was still high from both teams. We saw a lot more from Lincoln Bush (4) here, who distributed well and got up and involved in the offense. A scrappy battle closed out the game with no further goals. This left Hall to reflect, but this loss will help them build the character they will need for their match with Conard. 

While Coach Seguro didn’t expect this outcome, he is confident in his players’ abilities and their capacity for success, and said he is “not doing anything differently” going into the next games. He knows not to let this game bring him down, and that it’s natural to lose, and doesn’t want to mess the player’s chemistry after building it this whole season.

The loss wasn’t due to a lack of skill from his boys, but because Lewis Mills “wanted it more,” Seguro said. The only tangible mistakes he could point out were the own goal right after halftime, but this was unavoidable. Ballesteros was only going for the save, and the ball was headed in regardless.

Seguro noted that he appreciated how they bounced back after being scored on, with resilience, and he doesn’t feel defeated. “We’re not done yet. … hopefully, we will make a nice deep run into the state tournament. That’s the goal.” 

Hall will host Conard on Tuesday, Oct. 21, beginning at 6 p.m. The Red Wolves needs this win more than anything. Both teams will have to leave it all on the field as they battle it out to decide: Who is the town champion?

Earlier in the week, Hall resoundingly defeated Northwest Catholic, 8-1, taking their teamwork to new heights with their highest-scoring game of the season.

“Going into this game, I was unsure how our team was going to handle it; not the game itself, but the mentality,” Seguro said after the Wednesday afternoon win.

In that game, Deloreto elegantly swept in between Northwest Catholic defenders and delivered the first two goals of the game. Later on he would add two assists onto his record as Hall continued to advance against their rivals.

From the sidelines, teammates yelled the game on as players like Winiarski smashed two more goals into the opposition. Eric Samuels launched a fireball into the back net, next to Sander Hughes, scoring a tight goal. Bush and Matt Shangesky also added to the scoring.

Cam Siegel earned his first assist, truly assisting everyone in widening their smiles. “I felt like I scored more than just that assist, if you want me to be honest,” Siegel said after his moment.

“Even though our season is coming towards the end, I feel like our team spirit just gets stronger as we get through each game,” said Pearse Devenney, as he walked off the field with his teammates.

“Had our team (NWC) had more energy, we may have been able to keep ourselves on our feet around these guys,” said the Northwest Catholic coach. Northwest Catholic remains winless this season, with several games remaining in the final week of play.

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