Hotchkiss field hockey, boys soccer teams capture New England crowns

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School field hockey and boys soccer teams brought home the glory on Sunday, Nov. 20, winning the Class A New England championships in their sports.For head coach Robin Chandler, assistant coaches John Virden and Amanda Bohnsack and the field hockey team, the 2-1 victory over arch rival Greenwich Academy also signaled a history-making 10 consecutive New England titles for Hotchkiss field hockey teams.Five of the championships (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010 and 2011) have come against Greenwich Academy, including last year’s triple-overtime thriller. During their decade of dominance, the Hotchkiss teams have recorded five unbeaten seasons and a combined record of 160-5-5 in that time.“It was a remarkable weekend and season,” Chandler said. “These kids fought hard for everything and earned each victory along the way. I could not be more proud of each and every one of them.”The two teams played to a scoreless first half, but the Bearcats jumped ahead early in the second half off a penalty corner. Shannon Cherpak tipped in a rebound off a shot by Ally Chute. Cherpak added the game-winning goal later in the half.The title runs have not come without suspense. Each of the last two years, the team has been pushed to penalty strokes, including this year’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Taft in the semifinals. Like last year, the outcome came down to the final stroke, with Samantha Sandler providing the decisive goal against Taft.Chandler gave special praise to goalkeeper Leah Settipane. “Leah was amazing in goal over the weekend,” she said. “We had six saves on Saturday and seven on Sunday, some of which were jaw-dropping, ‘How the heck did she get that?’ saves.”For the boys soccer team, the road to the title came somewhat more easily, with a 2-0 victory over Andover in the finals at Northfield Mount Hermon. The team endured its own semifinal struggles, needing overtime to beat Taft 2-1 in the semifinals held at Hotchkiss.In the finals, the Bearcats relied on their trio of offensive stars for both goals. Isaac Normesinu scored the first goal at 20 feet, with assists from Mohammed Rashid and Mohammed Moro. Normesinu would return the favor, assisting on a goal by Rashid at 78 feet to clinch the victory.The win is the team’s third title in the last four years, with wins in 2009 and 2008. Coming off a semifinal loss to Kent last year, the Bearcats stormed through the regular season, with losses only to Brunswick and South Kent.Head coach Chris Downs praised his squad for its chemistry and character. “This team didn’t have as much talent as the other two teams,” he said. “Everybody did some heavy lifting. It was a team effort.”

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