TORRINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School boys varsity soccer tied with Torrington High School after a thrilling showdown Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Defensive dominance from both teams kept the game scoreless for the first 72 minutes of play. A penalty kick put Torrington up 1-0 with eight minutes left. HVRHS responded rapidly when striker Brayan Lopez-Gonzalez threaded a shot between two Raider defenders and the goalie for a game-tying goal with two minutes remaining.
Patrick Money battles for a 50-50 ball against Torrington.Photo by Riley Klein
For a non-league game, tensions ran surprisingly high between both sides. Hard fouls led to chirping between the coaches on the sidelines and between the players on the field, yet no cards were issued by the officials as they let the two sides duke it out.
As evenly matched as the game was, so to was the crowd balanced in its support for both sides. The HVRHS girls soccer team filled the bleachers to cheer on the boys in Torrington. Coach Adolfo Portillo hyped them up to make some noise late in the game, which paid off. Portillo thanked the fans for their support after the game.
Anthony Labbadia plays midfield for HVRHS.Photo by Riley Klein
After narrowly avoiding a loss, the Mountaineers hoisted Lopez-Gonzalez high above the huddle. In a post-game interview, Lopez-Gonzalez said was nervous as he received the ball in the box. He stared down the two defenders in front of him and fired a rocket right down the middle. It whizzed past the keeper and the whole HVRHS bench swarmed him in celebration.
“We always say if we’re down one, we gotta keep our heads up and just keep pushing through it,” said Lopez-Gonzalez on how he kept his composure in the final minutes.
HVRHS’s season record moved to 2-2-2 after the game while Torrington moved to 3-1-2. The Mountaineers return home to host Thomaston High School Friday, Sept. 20 at 3:45 p.m.
The bench takes in the game and the sunset at Robert Frost Athletic Complex in Torrington.Photo by Riley Klein
