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Silvay supplies the energy for Tolland

kyle maher, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·5 min read

Oct. 13—TOLLAND — Twelve minutes into the Tolland High boys soccer team's game against Bristol Eastern Tuesday, center midfielder James Silvay stole the ball from a Lancers player deep in Eagles territory, passed it to a teammate, and sprinted 80 yards into the Lancers' penalty box.

Luke McCarthy crossed the ball into the box, where Silvay booted it past goalkeeper Dylan Piazza and into the net for the Eagles lone goal in the teams' 1-1 draw in CCC interdivisional play.

"That play is James in a nutshell," Tolland coach Mike Caccomo said. "Energy, heart, fight. He's not afraid to mix it up and do the dirty work. He's a catalyst for us. He can score, he can win balls and distribute and he can defend. He's got a lot of talent."

Forty-five seconds into the second half, Donyell Maxwell found the back of the net to knot the score at one. It was the first goal the Eagles have conceded since Sept. 30.

The Eagles have allowed two goals in their last six games.

"Defensively we look really good," Caccomo said. "We're fantastic in goal. Cullen is one of the best in the CCC. Defense is a commitment to me. It's a commitment to work ethic and really digging in and doing your job. Cam McCloskey is a great leader. He takes accountability to the next level. We make defending a commitment."

Cullen Rublewski made eight saves for the Eagles (2-3-4), who extended their unbeaten streak to six (two wins, four ties). Tolland visits Glastonbury Friday.

Piazza made six saves for the Lancers (2-1-7), who snapped a four-game losing streak.

"We didn't play with passion in the first half," Bristol Eastern coach Bill Sweet said. "We played so much harder in the second half. We have been hungry to find some success."

Silvay was called up to the varsity team as a sophomore and has been a key cog in the Eagles midfield for three years.

He scored one goal and added one assist as a junior as the Eagles finished 3-6-3. The season was shortened and the state tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Silvay has scored two goals and added two assists this season for the Eagles, who need five points in their final seven games to punch their ticket to the Class M state tournament.

"We talked to James and a lot of these guys before the season and we told them, 'You have to score,'" Caccomo said. "There's so much talent, but we don't have that one star who you can rely on for goals. We don't have a star to carry us. We have a bunch of guys who are good. Sometimes I wish James would play a little more condensed. He gets a little erratic at times. But it's hard to question it, because you know you're getting every bit of him for 80 minutes. You can't take him out."

Silvay has yet to receive a scholarship offer to play at the next level, but he is hoping that a strong 2021 season will raise his recruiting profile.

"I'd like to play in college if the option is there," Silvay said. "I'm writing letters to coaches at schools that I've applied to. Whatever I can get would be great."

ENFIELD 5, PLATT 1. In Meriden, Luke Semanie had two goals as Enfield picked up a CCC interdivisional win.

The Eagles' third straight victory assures them a spot in the Class LL state tournament, their first postseason bid since the merging of Enfield and Fermi in 2016.

Matt Spruill added a goal and two assists for Enfield (5-2-2) with Kacper Kurgan and Ashton Rader also having goals.

Goals by Semanie, assisted by Spruill, and Kurgan a minute apart gave Enfield a 2-0 lead. Spruill pushed the gap to three before an own goal pulled Platt (1-9-0) within 3-1 at halftime. Semanie, again assisted by Spruill, put the Eagles back up by three early in the second half before Rader hit the net with 15 minutes to go to account for the final score.

Goalies John Bellafronte, Jack Winans, and Lucas Wachtel made two saves each for the Eagles. Dale Fuller was a defensive standout.

Enfield entertains Manchester Thursday.

LEWIS MILLS 2, WINDSOR 1. In Burlington, goals by Charlie Joiner and Aleks Swider gave Lewis Mills a two-goal halftime lead and the Spartans (5-1-3) held on for the CCC interdivisional win.

Zayd Bakr pulled Windsor (3-5-1) within one with 24 minutes left but the Warriors couldn't get a second shot past Ryan Mayes, who made three saves.

Breon Parker made three saves for Windsor. Midfielder Ryan Stillman and freshman Nigel Martin also played well.

Windsor hosts Rocky Hill Saturday.

WETHERSFIELD 2, SOUTH WINDSOR 1. In South Windsor, Josh Gstell and Will McCarter scored goals 30 seconds apart in the first half and Wethersfield held on for the CCC interdivisional win.

Bryan Fishman pulled the Bobcats (4-4-2) within one with 19:58 remaining but the Eagles, 8-0-2 and ranked fifth in the Class LL/L state coaches poll, denied them the equalizer. Goalie Rocky Torres finished with five saves.

Kyle Sullivan made 12 saves for South Windsor, which visits second-ranked Hall on Friday.

RHAM 2, MANCHESTER 0. In Hebron, second-half goals by Patrick Kelly and Andrew Macca lifted RHAM to the CCC East win.

Kelly opened the scoring with 25 minutes left and Macca added his insurance goal 10 minutes later. Erik Buden earned the shutout in goal with two saves as the Raptors (5-2-2) avenged an earlier 2-0 loss to Manchester. Will Slayton and Joe Rose combined to make 10 saves in goal for the Red Hawks (1-5-4).

RHAM hosts Platt on Thursday, the same day Manchester visits Enfield.

For daily updates on high school sports in JI's coverage area, follow Kyle Maher on Twitter: @KyleBMaher, Facebook: Kyle Maher, and Instagram: @KyleBMaher.