George has two goals as Avon moves into semifinals with win over Nonnewaug

Avon’s Shelly George (26), shown two weeks ago against Granby, had two goals including the game-winner as the Falcons beat Nonnewaug Thursday in the Class M quarterfinals, 2-1.

WOODBURY, Nov. 6 – Shelly George had two goals including the game-winner with eight minutes left in regulation as the No. 6 Avon High field hockey earned a berth in the Class M semifinals for the third straight year with a 2-1 victory over No. 3 Nonnewaug Thursday.

The Falcons (14-2-1) advance to next week’s Class M semifinals where they will face either No. 2 Hand-Madison (14-2-1) or No. 10 New Canaan (11-4-2). The New Canaan at Hand game was postponed to Friday due to the wet conditions.

It rained most of the day in Woodbury and there was a light, misty rain throughout most of the game. But the Nonnewaug field held up very well. There were a few timeouts to allow the girls to clean grass from their cleats.

“We played pretty well today,” Avon High coach Terri Ziemnicki said. “We played smart. We played composed. We were tenacious in front of the net and our passing was good. We were quick with our passing.”

Avon took a 1-0 lead on George’s team-leading 18th goal of the season off an assist from Rebecca Bonini in the first half. Nonnewaug (14-3-0-1) responded with the tying goal late in the first half.

But the Falcons didn’t wilt. They controlled large stretches of the game, enjoying a 14-5 advantage in penalty corner opportunities. Avon put 13 shots on goal.

Avon’s persistence paid off with another goal from George off the stick of Hannah Deppe with about eight minutes left in the game. George has scored three of Avon’s four goals in their two state tournament victories.

Falcon goalie Natalie Sawicki made one save to earn the victory.

Now, Avon will get another opportunity to earn a ticket to the state championship game. A year ago, the Falcons lost in overtime to Lauralton Hall in the semifinals, 1-0. In 2012, Wilton beat the Falcons by a goal in the semifinals. Avon’s last trip to the finals was in 1998 when they played Canton in the Class S championship game, dropping a 3-0 decision.

“I’m happy for the girls. They have worked hard every day to develop their skills and it has showed,” Ziemnicki said. “They has been a real improvement in their skills. We’ve come a long way.”