HARTFORD, CT — A game Northwest Catholic High School out of West Hartford came up just short in their bid for the program’s fifth state girls’ soccer championship.
But in the end, fourth-seed Lewis Mills High School of Burlington was too much as they defeated the Lions, 2-1, in a competitive championship tilt Saturday at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford.
The Spartans were led by a brace from junior Lilly Castle, voted the game’s most valuable player, who scored both of Lewis Mills’ goals en route to the title.
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The game kicked off Saturday morning under bright, sunny skies at Trinity Health Stadium, normally the home of Hartford Athletic. It was the first of seven championship games slated for the weekend.
Playing the role of Cinderella were Northwest Catholic Lions, which came into the tournament with an 8-5-3 record and was seeded 19th.
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Lewis Mills out of Burlington was the fourth seed with an 11-2-3 regular season record.
The game started slowly, with both sides moving the ball around the midfield, but no side having any significant chances.
Ultimately, the sides entered the halftime locker rooms deadlocked at 0-0.
That deadlock ended quickly in the second half, when Castle took a pass on the left side of the field and, in a one-on-one with Lion goalkeeper Abigail Casper, deposited the ball into the right side of the goal, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the second half.
Northwest Catholic nearly tied the game with about 30 minutes left when a long shot bounced off the crossbar. The Spartans cleared it for a corner.
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The subsequent corner kick then ricocheted in the box in front of the net, with Lewis Mills desperately clearing a bouncing ball before it could cross the goal line.
A few minutes later, the Spartans bounced a shot off the crossbar in a bid to double their lead, but the Lions successfully defended the attack and stayed in the game.
With less than 20 minutes to go, Castle succeeded in doubling the Spartans’ lead with her second goal of the game, slotting a shot past Casper into the left side of the goal, giving Mills a 2-0 lead.
But the Lions were not about to quit.
The Lions Maeve Staunton a junior, came close to pulling one back for Catholic when her free kick from the right side nearly went in, only being denied when Mills’ goalkeeper Anna Henrylunged and tapped it over the bar.
Then with 12 minutes to go, Northwest Catholic pulled on back when senior Elise Nicholas headed in a pass from Staunton to make it 2-1.
While Lews Mills still enjoyed the lead, a rejuvenated Northwest Catholic pressed desperately for an equalizer in the final minutes of the match.
With four minutes to go, Henry stopped a one-on-one Northwest Catholic attack by falling on the ball before it could be shot into the net.
It was the last serious chance of the game, with Mills, led by coach Kofi Remey, winning its second-ever state title and the first since 2018.
Northwest Catholic, coached by Steve Carnes, was looking to win the program’s fifth state championship and first since 2015.
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