Lewis Mills’ Sophia Serrano, center, battles for the ball with Simsbury’s Charlotte Diviney, left, and Addy Girard during Wednesday’s CCC game in Simsbury. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)
By STEVE BARLOW
Special to the Collinsville Press
SIMSBURY, Oct. 1, 2025 – Psst, Simsbury High School girls soccer coach Steve Jarvis has a secret – and it must be a good one. It’s so good that it helped the Trojans exact a measure of revenge on Lewis Mills with a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at Holden Field.
Since a 1-0 loss to the Spartans in Burlington earlier this season, Jarvis has tinkered with his team’s formation. It was one of a few reasons why Simsbury was able to turn the tables on the top-ranked team in the coaches’ Class M-S state poll.
“We’ve prepared a formation now that works for us. You learn things from losing games. We’re now seeing the effects of playing this formation consistently,” Jarvis explained.
Asked if he’d like to divulge the specifics of his changes, he smiled: “Not really, no.”
Junior Addy Girard, who had a goal and an assist, gave credit to her coach, but didn’t reveal a whole lot more strategically either.
“A lot of props to Coach Jarvis,” she said. “He changed up our formation a little bit. We were struggling on the wings, and he fixed that.”
There were other factors, too. For one thing, Mills was playing its third game without All-State striker Lilly Castle, who may be out two to three more weeks with a hamstring injury.
Also, the Trojans opened the game with the wind at their backs and made the most of it in the first half. Simsbury got on the board first when sophomore Zurie Freitas ran down a pass from Girard, bolted away from a defender and blasted in a shot at the 17:24 mark.
“I was just trying to flick it to Zurie,” Girard explained. “She’s super fast and made a good run. That was all her.”
With 9:16 left in the half, the ball bounded out of a scrum to senior Alexa Querim, who drilled a shot off the fingertips of leaping Mills goalie Anna Henry for a 2-0 lead.
“They took advantage, especially with the wind and made it tough for us,” said Mills coach Quentin Lux. “The wind was definitely a massive factor. You could tell from the way the ball was rotating and moving.”
“Sometimes on this field, the weather will impact the game,” Jarvis agreed. “It was noticeable on the field that it was blowing in one direction. In the first half, we had the advantage. Mills had it in the second.”
Simsbury’s Paityn Girard (5) looks to pass the ball, left, during Wednesday’s girls soccer game against Lewis Mills. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)
With the wind, the No.1 Spartans (7-2) went on the attack in the second half. Just under four minutes into the period, junior Sadie Aston booted a textbook free kick into the box, where freshman Leah Najman headed it into the goal for a 2-1 score.
Simsbury (7-2) was able to answer 10 minutes later, though, as Girard scored on a shot from 25 yards out on an assist by junior Brenna Riordan.
“That was a really good pass from Brenna. It opened things up,” Girard said.
“We went in this time a little stronger and really motivated. We knew what they were made of,” she continued. “We try to keep a really positive environment. That makes everybody’s mentality that they want to play hard. They want to work for each other.”
In goal, Henry had 16 saves for Mills while Simsbury’s Amelia Smarrelli had six.
The Trojans travel to Avon on Friday for a 3 p.m. game, while Mills hosts Conard the same day at 3:45.
“It’s obviously tough losing,” said Lux. “They’re a very strong LL team. They should be very successful the rest of the season. It’s a good opportunity for us to learn and get ready for the rest of the season and the postseason.”
“(Mills) won states last year. I’d be shocked if they don’t win states again,” Jarvis said. “That’s a very well-coached team. They’ve got great individuals, and they know their roles. I don’t underestimate this win. That was a big win for us even though they’re Class M and we’re LL. This is a statement win for us.”
Simsbury 3, Lewis Mills 1
At Simsbury
Lewis Mills (7-2) 0 1 – 1
Simsbury (7-2) 2 1 – 3
Goals: Zurie Freitas (S), Alexa Querim (S), Addy Girard (S); Leah Najman (LM). Assists: Girard, Brenna Riordan (S). Sadie Aston (LM). Saves: Amelia Smarrelli (S) 6. Anna Henry (LM) 16; Of note: Mills is ranked No. 1 in the state top 10 coaches poll in Class M/S. Simsbury is not ranked in the top 10 of the Class LL/L poll.
