Two Avon soccer teams move into semifinals; field hockey team loses

AVON, Nov. 14 – Britt Douglass and Caroline Smith each had goals to lead No. 6 Avon into the Class L semifinals for the fifth straight year with a 2-1 victory over Joel Barlow in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The No. 2 Falcons (16-1-2) will face No. 11 Pomperaug on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at West Haven High.

Avon took 15 shots in the first half and Barlow goalie Kerri Eden made 10 saves. Douglass scored with just 10 minutes gone in the game for the early lead. Smith added a goal with three minutes left in the first half.

Barlow outshot Avon, 9-2 in the second half and cut the lead to one goal off a corner kick with 23:10 left in the game. But Avon goalie Kaylan Conrad came up big to lead the Falcons

BOYS SOCCER
Avon 4, Berlin 0
AVON, Nov. 14 – Bobby Zaino had two goals as the Avon High boys soccer team advanced to the Class L semifinals with a 4-0 shutout over No. 14 Berlin Wednesday at Fisher Meadows. Jason Leaning and Stephen Dorney also scored for the Falcons (15-3-4). No. 6 Avon, which played in the finals a year ago, faces Hand-Madison in the semifinals on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury.

FIELD HOCKEY
Wilton 2, Avon 1
WILTON, Nov. 14 – Wilton’s Joanne Nazareth scored with 23:45 left in regulation off a penalty corner pass from teammate Megan Ward to lift Wilton (20-1-0-1) into the Class M championship game for the second straight year at Cheshire High on Wednesday night.

Maddy Riccardi put Avon (13-3-3) up 1-0 on a breakaway goal with 25 seconds left in the first half. It was the first time that the Warriors had trailed at halftime this year. But Wilton, the defending Class M champion and the No. 1 ranked team in the state coaches poll, tied the game at 1-1 just a minute into the second half.

Avon outshot the Warriors by a 9-6 margin but Wilton maintained a 7-4 edge in penalty corners. The Falcons had several chances in the second half but Wilton goalie Lizette Roman-Johnston played an exceptional came, coming out of her net several times to make big saves. Avon goalie Nicole Andrew made three stops in net.