HARTFORD, CT — It wasn’t easy for the Tolland High School Eagles, but the favorites Saturday were able to eke out the CIAC Class M state boys soccer championship.
The Eagles defeated a game Weston High School, 2-1, a contest that started with a deficit and progressed into a relentless attack that, in the end, produced just enough goals to win.
Despite falling behind early and his team securing the game-winner with only four minutes left, Tolland boys soccer coach Mike Caccomo said he was never worried, even though he trailed 1-0 at the half.
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“We talked at halftime and I said ‘We’ll be OK,'” Caccomo said just before enjoying a i celebratory ce water bath on the Trinity Health Stadium turf. “We’re not afraid of being down a goal.”
Tolland went into the game as the favorites, seeded sixth and enjoying an 11-3-2 regular season mark.
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West High School’s Trojans, led by head coach Thomas Guardado, were seeded 24, going into the CIAC tourney with a 5-4-7 regular season mark.
As often happens with championship high school soccer games, the play was deliberate and disciplined, with no major chances early.
Tolland, the favorites, spent a majority of its ball possession in Weston’s half of the field, making the Trojan defense work hard to keep it scoreless.
But then Weston struck fast, with a header by senior Luka Navaresse putting the Trojans up 1-0 as the ball shot past Tolland goalkeeper Andrew Chater.
Less than a couple minutes later, Tolland appeared to tie the score.
But a long-distance goal by senior Carson Merluzzo was controversially disallowed by an “indirect free kick.”
Two yellow cards were, subsequently, issued to members of the Tolland bench as coaches protested.
With an indirect free kick, a ball cannot be kicked directly into the goal, which is what happened in this instance.
Had the referee awarded a direct free kick, the goal would have been allowed.
Tolland continued to be dangerous in the first half as they pushed the ball deep into Weston’s zone.
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But an equalizer never came in the first half and Weston was up 1-0.
The pattern of play continued that way in the second half, with Tolland charging at Weston’s goal, but the Trojans’ defense held firm led by Weston goalkeeper Jason Dize.
Then Tolland junior Reid Babcock took a pass, dribbled into the box, and fired a shot past Dize to even the game with 29 minutes to go.
It ended what seemed to be an inevitable wave en route to an equalizing, 1-1 score.
Tolland’s attack continued its onslaught after the tying goal, with Eagle Purple swarming Dize in the box and threatening to score.
As the half continued, however, play settled down and Weston was, even, able to move play to Tolland’s side of the field more.
But with the clock winding down, Tolland sophomore Jonathan Adadjo grabbed a loose ball in the box, dribbled to his right, and then slotted a shot into an open net as Dize was on the ground in the middle of the box.
With a bit more than three minutes to go, Tolland grabbed a 2-1 and a state championship that seemed to be inevitable.
“We’re made for this,” Caccomo said. “If you were going to beat us today, you would have to have killed us.”
Tolland High’s third-ever state title was the program’s first since 2015.
For Caccomo, it ended a recent trend of having good teams, but not good enough to hoist the CIAC plaque in the air at the end of the season.
“We’ve been close too many years and I told them I’m tired of being close,” said Caccomo. “We have to get over the hump.”
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