Alexis Frausto shoots on Bristol Central during a 2-1 loss to the Rams.
By BRIAN JENNINGS
STAFF WRITER
It can be said that the Blue Knight soccer team is never out of a game from what they’ve shown thus far, but Southington is still looking for their first win. To add more salt on the wound, the Knights possibly lost their starting goalie for the season.
With all of the hardships the team has faced, a tough schedule doesn’t help.
“We’re going to have to play well every time we come out,” said Southington coach Dave Yanosy. “We’re going to have to be consistently good if we’re going to have success.”
Remaining competitive in games is what Yanosy said will help the team down the stretch.
“We’re going to be in a lot of games,” the coach said. “We’re still searching for that right combination, but probably the biggest key for us will be putting together a full 80 minutes, playing consistently well from start to finish.”
Tie at Conard
SEPT. 12—The Knights settled for their second-straight tie after drawing, 1-1, at divisional Conard on Tuesday.
Alexis Frausto put the Knights on the board first with a goal about 25 minutes into the game. The Chieftains answered with just over 14 minutes left in regulation to knot the score.
The Knights finished with 11 shots on goal and four corner kicks. Evan Daddona and John Griffin combined for eight saves.
About 20 minutes into the game, Daddona attempted to punch the ball away from Southington’s goal with his fist and accidentally made contact with teammate Kieran Tindall’s head. Daddona suffered an injury on the play and could possibly be out for the season. Tindall left the game with an injury as well, but is expected to return.
“It kind of changed the landscape of the game,” said Yanosy. “John Griffin did a fantastic job and made some good saves for us. It was a really good effort, given the fact that we had to scramble a little bit, and I was proud of the way the guys stepped up.”
Loss at Bristol Central
SEPT. 14—A couple days later, the Knights remained winless on the year after suffering their first loss, 2-1, of the season at Bristol Central in the final minutes of the game.
The Rams jumped on the board first with a goal just under 10 minutes into the contest. Late in the second half, Joseph Colaccino won a header in Bristol Central’s territory, escaping a pair of defenders that fell to the ground after colliding with one another, and tied the game on a shot that just rolled by the goalie into the right corner of the net with just over four minutes remaining in the contest.
Seconds later, Diego Naranjo clinched the victory for the Rams by scoring the game-winning goal on a penalty kick after being slide-tackled inside Southington’s penalty box.
“They were a step quicker, really almost all day,” the coach said. “I thought our work rate coming down the stretch was pretty good to get the equalizer. But in all honestly, they deserved it and were the better team today.”
The Knights took 10 shots on goal and five corner kicks. In his first start of the season for the Knights, John Griffin saved seven shots on goal.
The Knights will be back on the pitch this week in search of their first win of the season when they face Tolland (1-1) and Glastonbury (2-0-1) this week. Southington is currently 0-1-2 overall.
For this week’s box scores, click here: (southingtonobserver.com/2017/09/19/weekly-scoreboard-for-the-sept-22-edition). To contact sports writer Brian Jennings, email him at BJennings@SouthingtonObserver.com.