Wyvern Nation Sports Wraps – September 30, 2021

Cross Country

The Kingswood Oxford boys’ and girls’ cross country team traveled to New Milford, CT on Sept. 25 to compete in the 48th Annual Canterbury Invitational. It was an absolutely gorgeous summer-like day to race with sunny, blue skies, and temperatures in the mid-seventies. Both teams raced in the Division II Varsity Race. The girls’ team raced first at 12:30 pm and earned 1st place. This was an exciting finish and exemplified their hard work, dedication to the sport, and ability to compete as a team. Two of our athletes received top 10 honors as they placed sixth and seventh. Olivia Reynolds ‘22 and Kami Tarantino ‘24 earned sixth and seventh place respectively. This was the third race of the season but the biggest one yet. There were 15 teams competing and 89 female athletes. The course had been modified this year due to campus construction but remained a tough course. Athletes pushed themselves to get out at the beginning of the race to hold their position and set their pace. After running on grass and around athletic fields, the runners enter a steep downhill only to be faced with the task of climbing back uphill on their way to the finish line. This 5K course is challenging and requires athletes to maintain their stamina and mental toughness. Here are the places and times for the seven varsity athletes:

Olivia Reynolds ‘22 (22:05) – 6th place
Kami Tarantino ‘24   (22:13) – 7th place
Regina Miller ‘22     (23:08) – 16th place
Claire Palmer ‘25    (24:09) –  23rd place
Sasha Dausey ‘25   (24:59) –  33rd place
Jordan DiMauro ‘23 (25:13) – 36th place
Ashleigh Stepnowski ‘22 (25:34) – 41st place

On the boys’ side, the team was led by captain Sam Merkatz ‘22. A strong competitor and leader, Merkatz finished with a time of 19:33 in 24th place. He was followed by sophomore Carson Zielinski ‘24 with a time of 21:09 (47th place) and Sam Bromberg ‘23 with a time of 21:31 (51st place). Three outstanding competitors finished the race as the remaining scorers and competitors for the KO team. They were Charlie Simons ‘24 (22:45, 68th place), Tommy Vumback ‘24 (22:59, 71st place), and Ted Simons ‘24 (23:09, 72nd place). A total of 94 athletes competed in this race. 

Field Hockey
The Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey team came away with a 5-9 loss against Williston on Sept. 25. Williston started with a strong lead over the Wyverns early in the game. Goalie Caroline Boardman ‘22 had an outstanding game with 13 total saves. KO bounced back in the second half with five goals from Arie Lang ‘22, Allie Kotowitz ‘23, Mia Brown ‘22, Alyssa Pavano ‘22, and Ella Wilson ‘25. However, Williston controlled possession of the ball, ending with a KO loss 5-9. 

The Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey team faced another tough 0-5 loss on Sept. 27 against St. Luke’s. The Wyverns worked hard to obtain possession, but couldn’t get past their strong defense. Allie Kotowitz ‘23 hustled all over the field and earned the game ball, an award to a player that exemplifies hard work and great field hockey skills. 

Soccer

The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team faced off against Miss Porter’s School on Sept. 22, coming away with a 1-6 loss. Porter’s came out of the gates quickly and scored three goals in the first 11 minutes. Through changes in formats and game plan, the Lady Wyverns struggled to match the speed of play and overall quality of Miss Porter’s. While all of the players gave 100% effort, a shout out to the defensive line of Kyra Dunnirvine ‘23, Liv Stevens ‘24, Gianna Christiana ‘22, Alina Vaughn ‘23, and Aashni Patel ‘24 who made several key stops and saves throughout the game. Also big congratulations to Sattah Phouthahoun ‘23 on her corner kick conversion late in the second half. The team was thrilled with her toughness in the box.  

The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team faced off against Williston Northampton on Sept. 25 and came away with a 1-1 tie. Coach Sahrbeck said, “You never know how a team will respond when they have suffered a big defeat, but the KO women’s soccer team recovered extremely well with a tie against Williston Northampton. The first 15 minutes of play was some of the finest soccer played thus far in the season.” The Wyverns moved the ball around quickly and had multiple points of attack. However, a quality shot by Williston put them up 1-0 at the half.  Not to be outmatched, the Wyverns continued to pressure the defensive line and through aggressive play earned a penalty kick in the middle of the second half. Ella Sokale ‘24 converted the kick and while KO had several close opportunities, the game ended in a tie. It was impressive to see the character of the team shine throughout this match.

The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team earned a hard-fought win against Ethel Walker school on Sept. 27 with a score of 2-1. Credit belongs to all players and a great performance to Kyra Dunnirvine ‘23 who had some fantastic saves. Kudos to Olivia Schaller ‘25 and Ella Sokale ‘24 for their contribution with a goal apiece. Liv Chomick ‘22, Liv Stevens ‘24, and Sophia Radmanvich ‘24 assisted on the goals.  

The JV Girls’ Soccer team played a strong game against Williston on Sept. 25 resulting in a 2-0 win. The KO girls controlled the majority of the game, kept the pressure on Williston’s defense, and did not allow the ball to cross into the defensive zone very often. The Wyvern defense was anchored by goalie Piff LaBoy ‘23 with seven saves. Pauline Golder ‘24, Yzzy Albert ‘25, and Hannah Malkin ‘25 were outstanding on defense as they made multiple stops on Williston’s runs to goal and fed the ball up the field. In the midfield, Emma St. Clair ‘25, Miya Scranton ‘25, Dani Tippner ‘25, and forward Alyssa Tousignant ‘25, kept the pressure on Williston’s defense as they led our runs to goal. Tippner found the net twice in the second half. The first goal came off an assist from St. Clair and the second off a nice dribble move. The coaches were very proud of every girl on the team and their contributions to this win. Go Wyverns!

The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team claimed a 6-1 victory against Cheshire Academy on Sept. 25. KO opened the scoring in the 15th minute on a goal from Aaron Rotter ’22 on a feed from Brio Aslan ’22. The Wyverns would add a second goal shortly after off a corner kick by Sean Gilland ’22 that would find a charging Aidan Dillow ’22 through the box for a beautiful header. Later in the first half, Dillow would send a long right to left cross to Shrinaath Narasimhan ’22 on the left sideline. Narasimhan would then send a cross back through the middle to Aslan who would put KO up by three. KO would take a 3-1 lead into the half. After halftime adjustments, the Wyverns came out strong for the second 45. Aslan would open the scoring on individual effort to create a shot outside the 18 to put KO up 4-1. He would then add his third goal of the day on a penalty kick in the 67th minute. In the 89th minute, Aaron Rotter’22 would find Sam Cote ’24 for the final goal of the game. Will Wells ’22 completed the shutout for KO in the cage.  

The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team tied 2-2 with Greens Farms Academy on Sept. 29. Despite recent injury and illness to the members of the team, the Wyverns infused new players into the lineup.  The Dragons would open the scoring in the 28th minute that would have put KO behind in a game for the first time this season, and KO would trail at the half 1-0.  The Wyverns came out strong after halftime adjustments and would tie the game in the 60th minute in a set play from the corner.  Sean Gilland ’22 would feed a silky cross to the middle that would find James Beerbower ’22 on a far-post effort from the far corner of the 18 box.  Beerbower would blast the ball past the Dragons tender to bring the score level at 1-1.  Later in the second, the Dragons would go up on a questionable penalty call that would give GFA a PK goal. But KO remained undaunted in its quest to remain undefeated and would dominate play for the balance of the final 25 minutes. In the 79th min, Gilland would again send a corner kick to the middle that would be played by Max-William Kanz ’22, who would play the ball on to Sam Cote ’24. Cote would find the back of the net easily past the GFA tender. Despite a ferocious attack at the end by the KO Cagers, the game would finish in a 2-2 tie. Will Wells ’22 and Pierce Maddox ’22 split time in the KO net and played well.

Volleyball
The Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team came away with a 3-0 against Wilbraham and Monson on Sept. 25. In the first away match of the season, the Wyverns channeled consistency and aggressiveness at the service line to win 3-0 against the Titans (25-11, 25-3, 25-10). The Wyverns were attacking from all fronts, taking the lead in each set with momentous service runs from co-captain Mackenzie Caruso ‘22, Ava Cashman ‘24, and Jill Plaut ‘23 that opened up opportunities for the team to really take chances on offense. Our consistent serving was followed up with early attacks at the net. Jillian Alexander ‘24 was flying high while taking effective swings in the middle, and Lindsay Bailey ‘22, also in the middle, used unpredictable tips and quick hits to keep the opponent off balance at the net. Quinn Kearney ‘23 and Naomi Wong ‘22 found complicated angles for their precise hitting from the right side and combined with co-captain Keira Sullivan ‘23’s unstoppable swings from the outside, the Wyvern offense was a force to be reckoned with. The coaches noted they would be remiss to forget to mention that, when she wasn’t making thoughtful tipping decisions in the middle, Kata Mesterhazy ‘23’s cheers for her teammates could be heard echoing throughout the gym, inspiring the whole team!

The JV Volleyball team won its second game in straight sets, 2-0 (25-16 and 25-16) against Wilbraham & Monson Academy on Sept. 25. Cienna Freeman ‘24 was a strong defensive presence throughout both games, passing and moving well around the court. Lucia Martinez-Castro ‘23 made excellent decisions at the net, while Alex Segal ‘25 helped secure victory in the second set with a long run of low, fast serves. In general, the team improved in many ways but recognizes how it could strengthen in some areas. 

The Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team continued their success on the road with a convincing 3-0 win against the Westover School Wildcats (25-11, 25-19, 25-12) on Sept. 27. Throughout the match, the Wyverns demonstrated the versatility of their offense, striking from the service line to the net with variety and purpose. Clinical passing performances from libero Allie Arcaro ‘24 put the team’s plays into motion, followed by measured setting from co-captain Mackenzie Caruso ‘22 and Jill Plaut ‘23 that helped guarantee the success of our attack formations. Co-captain Keira Sullivan ‘23 led the Wyvern offense in kills with hits hammered down the line and into gaps in the opponents’ defensive formation. Lindsay Bailey ‘22 showed her drive to turn the tides of points by seeking out aggressive plays at the net, including three net kills early in the second set. When she wasn’t hitting on the outside, Ava Cashman ‘24 found her groove on the service line, which led to powerful, quick-dropping serves and a spectacular eight-point service run to bring us to the end of the third set. All of these offensive feats were possible because of consistent transitions from defense to offense, which is something the team hopes to carry forward into future matches. Consistency really is the name of the game!