By Michael Letendre
SOUTHINGTON – Old CCC South rivals battled it out on the pitch on Tuesday afternoon as the boys soccer squads from Bristol Eastern and Southington duked it out in interdivisional action.
And the Lancers and Knights went the distance, settling on a 0-0 stalemate from the turf field at Southington High School.
Eastern ended the day at 8-4-3 overall while Southington (6-6-3) remained at .500 on the campaign.
Over the first 15 minutes of the game, Southington had more of the play, getting off some solid shots at Lancers’ keeper Peyton Cummings, returning from injury.
An early attempt by Southington’s Damir Cirikovic drilled the bar but didn’t go in as Cummings pounced on the ball — keeping the affair scoreless.
But midway through the half, Eastern began to attack the Southington net, but missed out on a few longer shots.
And after 40 hard-fought minutes, the game remained a scoreless gambit.
“Southington had more possession, but after the early going we kept them from getting clean looks at the goal,” said Eastern coach Bill Sweet. “Rio Fernandez and Jesh Portillo asserted themselves in the middle of the field and we got our footing. Rocco Barbino and Hunter Scott were able to break into the final third on quick breaks.”
Eastern’s best shot came midway through the second half when Liam Sanchez-Barreto took a Scott pass and sent the ball across the face of the Southington goal.
Landon Kraut’s shot just went wide as the Knights escaped a serious jam.
And at the end of regulation, neither squad had produced a goal on the scoreboard as Eastern and Southington ended the match in a draw.
Cummings made eight saves and received strong support in front of him from back row mates Leslie Adzo, Sam LaMar, and Landon Gawel.
On the flip side, Southington’s Thomas Grazhdani nabbed six saves.
Finally, to end the regular season, Eastern squares off against Bristol Central on Thursday night, at 7:15 p.m., in the second game of a city series boy/girl doubleheader.
Bristol Eastern Boys Soccer – CCC Interdivisional Showdown
BRISTOL EASTERN 0, SOUTHINGTON 0
from the turf field at Southington High School
Scoring 1 2 – F
Bristol Eastern (8-4-3) 0 0 – 0
Southington (6-6-2) 0 0 – 0
Individual Scoring – First Half
*None
Individual Scoring – Second Half
*None
Saves: Peyton Cummings (Bristol Eastern), 8; Thomas Grazhdani (Southington), 6.
Records: Bristol Eastern 8-4-3 overall; Southington 6-6-2.
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.
