Avon’s Kobe Barnes (24), battling Farmington’s Justin Isner (5) earlier in the week, scored his sixth goal of the season Saturday against Tolland in the CCC Tournament quarterfinals.
TOLLAND, Oct. 31 – Kobe Barnes and Ian Jalbert each scored goals as the Avon High boys soccer team won its first-ever Central Connecticut Conference tournament game with a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Tolland Saturday afternoon.
The win boosts Avon (12-5) into the CCC Tournament semifinals on Monday night against top-seeded Glastonbury (15-2), a 3-0 winner over E.O. Smith on Saturday. South Windsor and Wethersfield will meet in the other semifinal with the championship game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Middletown High School.
Avon and Glastonbury played earlier this season with the Tomahawks coming away with a 3-1 decision in late September. The Tomahawks will see a different Falcon lineup.
Avon’s Ian Jalbert (10) scored his third goal of the year Saturday against Tolland.
Two days after losing to Glastonbury, the Falcons dropped a one-goal decision to Conard. Avon High coach David Zlatin shook up the lineup after that. He moved Jack Keenan from midfield to striker and he responded by scoring in nine of the next 10 games. Keenan moved through a pack of four defenders to score his 15th goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to Farmington on Wednesday.
“He’s been incredible,” Zlatin said. “Ever since he was moved to striker, he has scored in (nearly) every game he has played. He has provided us with such good offense.” Zlatin also moved Reed Stapleton from defense to midfield and Brendon Brown from forward to midfield.
It was Avon’s first game against Tolland since 2008 before the Eagles left the North Central Connecticut Conference to join the CCC in 2009 and their first win over the Eagles since 2007. Tolland (13-3-1) had won the CCC North White division.
Goalie Danny Magrini made nine saves in net to secure the win. Tolland goalie Kyle Boutot made two stops.
“We look at this as bonus soccer,” Zlatin said of the CCC Tournament. “It’s soccer that you can play without a lot of pressure since it doesn’t count toward your CIAC rankings.”
Saturday’s quarterfinals
Avon 2, Tolland 1
Glastonbury 3, E.O. Smith 0
Wethersfield 1, East Hartford 0
South Windsor 3, Berlin 1
Monday’s semifinals
Glastonbury 3, Avon 0
Wethersfield 1, South Windsor 0, OT
Wednesday’s championship
Glastonbury (16-2) vs. Wethersfield (15-2-1)
UPDATE (Nov. 3): Glastonbury beats Avon, 3-0 in CCC semifinals. Nick Kapelewski with two goals, Freddy Clark with goal, assist
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