Simsbury and Lewis Mills both upbeat about title hopes in 2026 campaign

Simsbury’s Bella Savino, center, controls the ball while, from left, teammate Kylie Ritchie and Lewis Mills’ London Meadows and Gianna Gomes pursue the play during Wednesday’s girls soccer season opener at Holden Field in Simsbury. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)

By STEVE BARLOW
Special to The Collinsville Press

SIMSBURY, Sept. 9, 2026 – Even though the Simsbury High girls soccer team shut out Lewis Mills, 3-0, in their mutual season opener on Wednesday evening, neither side left Holden Field feeling down-in-the-mouth about the upcoming season.

For the Trojans, ranked No. 9 in the initial Class LL/L state poll, it was a solid debut for a squad oozing talent. Ten of 11 starters from last year’s team, the third seed for the Class LL tournament, are back, led by senior All-American Addy Girard and senior All-Stater Kylie Ritchie. Three more seniors – Charlotte Diviney, Blake Peterson and Emma Horniakto – were all-conference as juniors.

“The target is on our back. Everybody knows how good we are,” said Simsbury coach Steve Jarvis.

For the Spartans, ranked No. 4 in the initial Class M/S state poll, it was a hopeful opening game for a team that lost seven starters from last year’s Class M semifinalist. Mills battled Simsbury to a draw in the first half before the Trojans’ firepower proved too much to handle in the second period.

“We played well in the first half. Even in the second half, I thought we did a lot of good things, too. It didn’t feel like a 3-0 game, although at the end of the day that’s the result,” said Mills coach Quentin Lux.

Simsbury had more and better chances in the Central Connecticut Conference contest and finally broke through just under 12 minutes into the second half. Freshman Amalie Olewnik launched a shot from the left corner that Mills goalie Keira Vigue blocked, but couldn’t control the rebound. Junior Zuri Freitas raced in to punch the ball into the right side.

A little more than eight minutes later, Girard made a run through the middle before firing a cannon shot into the left side of the goal for a 2-0 score. Senior Bella Savino finished the scoring with 10½ minutes to go by collecting the ball in a scrum and sneaking a shot inside the left post.

“I loved the way they played in the second half because we had to adjust, had to make changes,” Jarvis said. “The girls responded to what I had to say. Players stepped up, like (Olewnik). Her first minutes as a varsity player, she changed the game for us with her speed and aggression on the outside.”

Simsbury outshot the visitors, 12-3. Vigue made nine saves for the Spartans, while Simsbury keeper Amelia Smarelli had two saves before landing awkwardly with 4:20 to go in the first half. She walked off under her own power, and Jarvis was hopeful the injury wasn’t serious. Backup goalie Emma Nacimiento made one save.

Lewis Mills is led by three seniors, Sadie Aston, Sophia Serrano and Natalie Urso, all of whom played for the Spartans’ 2024 state championship team.

“I feel like we’re really just reloading. We’ve got a really good group,” said Lux. “We’re really strong in the back and middle. We have two keepers (Vigue and Liza Putnam) that haven’t had a lot of time the past two seasons, but I think we have two great keepers. Up front, we have a lot of potential. Obviously, losing a 100-goal scorer in Lily (Castle) is tough, but I think we have a lot of talent.”

Mills drops from Class M to Class S in the state tournament this season. Along with Bloomfield, the Spartans are one of only two Class S teams in the CCC.

“We should be one of the favorites, in my opinion,” Lux said. “We’ll look to make another deep run.”

Simsbury, meanwhile, drops to Class L from Class LL, where the Trojans lost a 1-0 second-round squeaker to Ridgefield a year ago.

“We came up short last year,” Jarvis said. “We return 90% of our lineup. If we’re fit and healthy and can handle the pressure, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be playing in the last game of the season – but there’s a long way to go.”