By Michael Letendre 

BRISTOL – To qualify for the upcoming CIAC Class L state tournament fray, the only thing the girls soccer squad from Bristol Eastern had to do was not lose to CCC South rival Berlin on Wednesday night. 

And after eighty scoreless minutes, it was mission accomplished by the Kingstreeters. 

The Lancers and the Redcoats went to a time limit draw from Alumni Field in Bristol over a 0-0 stalemate and in the process, Eastern (5-6-2 overall) earned a point to qualify for the playoffs in November.  

“Both teams had limited chances and in the end, we were content packing it in and killing the clock, taking the draw and qualifying for the tournament,” said Eastern coach Scott Redman. 

Berlin moved to 6-4-2 as a result of the tie. 

The visiting aggression took several shots on the Eastern goal but senior Grace D’Amato and her back line made all the stops.

In the net, D’Amato saw nine balls come her way but the senior leader saved all nine.

D’Amato recorded her third consecutive shutout and fourth in the past five matches for the Lancers.

On the flip side, Berlin keeper Natalia Chorzepa did just as well – making four stops as Eastern’s offense could not slip in a winning tally. 

When the Redcoats advanced into Lancers’ territory, the visiting aggression was stopped early and often over eighty minutes of tough play.

“Berlin had two of the best chances of the game midway through the first half but Grace D’Amato was up to the task, sprawling out to her left to save one and coming out to block a point blank shot on another,” explained Redman. “In hindsight, these saves literally kept the Lancers in the game as there were limited chances. Both teams had 1-2 quality chances off corner kicks as well but could not convert.” 
Off the draw, it meant postseason play would become a reality for the girls soccer program at Bristol Eastern.

Speaking of state tournament qualification, next up for the Lancers is an exciting trip to West Hartford on Friday afternoon to square off against Northwest Catholic (5-7-2) in a CCC Interdivisional encounter.

After a 5-2 victory over Bristol Central Wednesday evening, the Lions are also on the cusp of a postseason bid.

An Eastern win would squash those chances for Northwest Catholic with just Southington left on its schedule on November 2 to qualify for the states.   

On that same Tuesday, Central travels to Eastern for a city series date at Alumni Field, beginning at 4:45 p.m. in what should be another memorable showdown.

Bristol Eastern Girls Soccer

BRISTOL EASTERN 0, NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 0

from Alumni Field on the campus of Bristol Eastern

Scoring                                   1 2 – 0

Berlin (6-4-2)                         0 0 – 0

Bristol Eastern (5-6-2)          0 0 – 0

Shots on goal: Berlin 9; Bristol Eastern 4 

Saves: Natalia Chorzepa (Berlin), 4; Grace D’Amato (Bristol Eastern) 9

Records: Bristol Eastern 5-6-2 overall; Berlin 6-4-2