East Hartford turns the page
Sep. 23—The East Hartford High boys soccer team entered the 2022 season with something to prove following a disappointing 2021 campaign.
The Hornets have shown things are different so far in the early season.
Ricardo Sanguino and Julius McNeil each scored as the visiting Hornets topped Tolland 2-0 in a CCC East game.
The win gives East Hartford (3-1-1) more victories than it had in all of the 2021 season.
The Hornets finished 2-10-4 last year and saw its run of seven straight Class LL tournament berths come to an end.
The teams played a scoreless first half Thursday. Sanguino, a senior, got the visitors on the board with 16:32 to play thanks to a one-timed shot off of a Tolland defensive clearance attempt.
Classmate McNeil added an insurance goal 7:32 later. He collected the ball on a missed clearance try and converted to put East Hartford ahead by two.
Lesly Pinthiere made 12 saves in the shutout win. Noah Hill stopped nine shots for Tolland (2-1-2).
East Hartford battles Westhill at Farmington Sports Arena Saturday as part of the FCIAC vs. CCC Challenge.
Meanwhile, Tolland is off until Tuesday when it travels to Manchester.
ENFIELD 3, EAST CATHOLIC 1. Antonio Calabrese was one of three Enfield players to score in its CCC East win at Fermi High.
The win extends Enfield's unbeaten streak to four games. Enfield (2-1-2) is 2-0-2 in that stretch.
Calabrese, a junior, got the hosts on the board 11 minutes into the game, scoring from about 20 yards away. Senior Traizen Griffith made it 2-0 when he converted a penalty kick with two minutes left in the first half.
Matthew Daries put Enfield up three with 14 minutes left, but East Catholic's Shane Luca responded two minutes later to account for the final score.
Lucas Wachtel made eight saves in the win while Alejandro Oyewole stopped seven shots for East Catholic (0-4-1). Jeremiah Jackson-Sherman and Evan Ansaldi also played well for the visitors.
Both teams are home Tuesday. Enfield hosts South Windsor while East Catholic entertains RHAM.
E.O. SMITH 1, MANCHESTER 0. Thad Hempel scored the game's only goal as the Panthers picked up a CCC East win in Storrs.
Hempel broke the tie with about eight minutes left in regulation for E.O. Smith (2-2-0). Sophomore Ramiro Alvarez had the assist.
Though he didn't make a saver, Joey Rose played well in goal for Manchester (1-3-1). Garrett Ballou stopped four shots in the shutout win.
Manchester returns to the field Tuesday when it hosts Tolland.
ELLIS TECH 4, CHENEY TECH 1. Cameron Fulone scored a pair of second half goals to lead visiting Ellis Tech to a CTC victory.
Seamus Morse gave Ellis Tech (2-1-1) a 1-0 lead 19 minutes into the game and Cody Cramer doubled the visitors' advantage three minutes later.
Marc Lyra hit the back of the net on a strike from outside the box six minutes into the second half to cut the Beavers (1-2-1) deficit to one.
But Fulone scored twice in the final 17 minutes to salt Ellis Tech's victory away.
Cheney Tech hosts Wolcott Tech Monday.
