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Schools

All-Stater Fontaine Leads Powerful Northwest Girls

Indians look to follow up 17-2 campaign with another CCC West title and deep penetration in the Class M tournament.

The girls soccer program has blossomed beautifully under the auspices of head coach Todd Sadler.

The Indians battled Suffield to a scoreless tie and gaining a shared Class M title in 2009. They followed that up by cruising to the 2010 league crown in the competitive CCC West and advanced to the semifinals where they lost a one-goal decision to Lewis Mills.

Northwest suffered just one notable graduation loss in Regan Bosnyak and the influx of quality talent continues, so Sadler is expecting another strong season.

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“The biggest thing is when you’re a coach you want to have the players to play the style you want,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate. We had a great year my first year (2007). We had the most wins in school history (13), and I’m proud of that.

“Ever since then, there’s been a lot of interest in the West Hartford community about coming to Northwest.”

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Jess Fontaine, an All-State performer last year as a sophomore, will likely figure in offensively, but it’s her flexibility that is at the heart of the Indians’ success.

“[Fontaine] is an important part of the team. She’s a dynamic player,” Sadler said. “She can play in the back, in the midfield or up top. She gives us versatility. I may want to play her more in back because every team has a great forward but last year against Farmington, I moved her up top with 15 minutes left and she managed to pull it out.”

Annie Higgins and Michelle Medina will play prominent roles at the point of attack. Emily Kearney will get to display her creativity as a central midfielder.

“Every coach wants a kid like Emily,” Sadler said. “You can always count on her to win tackles and play tough.”

Cathy Higgins, Annie’s twin, has shown leadership capabilities as a central defender. Captain Morgan Mencio, Maddy Domingo and Maggie Rose are getting after it defensively.

The Indians made short work out of the CCC West race, primarily by digging deep and winning the close games (6-0 in one-goal games). Sadler is hoping they can sustain the poise that enabled them to gain that vital edge.

“I don’t think this year is any different,” he said. “All those one-goal games could easily have gone the other way and I’m trying to prepare the girls. You don’t take anything for granted and I’m sure the girls know that.”

And winning the CCC West – with the likes of Conard, Hall, Farmington and Simsbury lurking – is no small task.

“It’s a great division because every game is a tough game,” Sadler said. “In other divisions you have a few games where you can take a break, but when you play Farmington, Conard, Simsbury, Hall and Southington, you can never stop.

“There’s no time for breaks and that really keeps you sharp. It gets you ready for the tournament so when we get to that tough semifinal game, we’ll be prepared.

 

NORTHWEST CATHOLIC

Coach: Todd Sadler (5th year, 56-17-2)

Last Year: 17-2 (13-1 CCC West, 1st); lost to Lewis Mills in ‘M’ semifinal

Key Losses: Regan Bosnyak

Players: Becca Sierejko (sr. capt., GK), Morgan Mencio (sr. capt., D), Maddy Domingo (sr. D), Jess Fontaine (jr. F), Cathy Higgins (jr. D), Maggie Rose (so. D), Emily Kearney (jr. MF), Michelle Medina (so. F), Annie Higgins (jr. F), Jenna Jordano (jr. D), Emma Kate Mortillaro (sr. F/MF), Nicky Medina (so. MF), Colleen Riley (sr. D), Taylor Borowiec (jr. D), Maddie Borowiec (fr. MF), Anna Case (fr. MF), Fiona Shea (fr. MF)

Of Note: Sierejko is on pace to set virtually all the school’s goalkeeping records … The varsity features three sets of sisters – the Higgins’, the Medinas and the Borowiecs …

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