The Storm won the West Hartford Youth Soccer Association Junior Division Championship.

The WHYSA Junior Division Champion Storm celebrate with their coaches Scott Zweig and Andrew Olson. Courtesy photo

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The Storm defeated the Falcons 4-1 on Saturday, Nov. 2 to claim the West Hartford Youth Soccer Association Junior Division Championship. The win capped off an undefeated season (10-0-1) for this group of fifth and sixth graders.

The championship game was a matchup of the league’s top two teams and a rematch of the regular season finale (won by the Storm 4-1). The game’s first goal was scored by the Storm’s Haroon Lamfadel when he intercepted a goal kick in the first quarter and calmly tucked the ball into the back of the net. Although both teams created chances, the score remained 1-0 at halftime.

The second half saw the Falcons level the score midway through the third quarter, with a beautiful free kick from the near sideline. After a defensive foul, a Falcon midfielder (#5) launched a perfect shot into the far upper corner of the net.

However, the stalemate didn’t last long. The Storm regained the lead moments later when Javien Matias took a wide run down the left side and slipped the ball inside the near post from a tight angle.

Although the sky was clear and sunny, the “storm” wasn’t over yet. Adam Dennis gave his team a two-goal cushion a few minutes later when he won the ball inside his own defensive half, weaved through several defenders and cooly finished at the far post.

“It was just one of those classic Adam runs,” said Storm Head Coach Scott Zweig after the game. “He’s been doing that for us all year … Their goalie [Jack Hugill] made a number of tremendous saves, but Adam would not be denied. He is an outstanding player, but an even better kid.”

The Storm would score the final goal of the game in the fourth quarter as Lamfadel evaded his defender, found an opening in the middle of the box and converted on a perfect pass from Edo Omerovic.

“The boys really earned this win today. We played a very strong opponent. But in the face of adversity in the second half, they rose to the challenge. They played like champions today and all season long,” Zweig said.

The Storm’s offense was electric throughout the season, tallying 63 goals in 11 games. While their offense was impressive, their defense was even more dominant, allowing only 11 goals in 11 games. Their stingy defense, which allowed only five goals over the final nine games, was led by goalie Harrison Roberts and defenders Jack Zweig, Matthew Nietupski, Levi Jacobson, and Felix Olson.

“I’ve coached a lot of teams over the years,” said Zweig, “but this team was one for the ages.”

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