Hornets Tame Tigers; Ben James tops the field and Golf finishes 2nd at McCampell Cup

     Boys Lax also emerged victorious, topping the hosts 10-8. After fighting an extra hour of Saturday traffic, the Hornets surprisingly started energized but could not initially cash in on their chances. They began to assert their dominance by the end of the first half, and put their best quarter together in the third as they extended their lead to 10-4. Unfortunately, the attack grew a bit erratic in the final quarter, while GCD chipped away at the lead. The Hornets kept their composure and avoided costly fouls to run out the clock. Zach Conlon led the attack with 4 goals off ferocious shots, and dished out 2 assists. Kai Bruneau added 2 goals and 3 assists. Liam Kohler and Drew Grillo had 1 and 1, while Colin Gore-Grimes and TJ Nixon added a goal apiece. The defense of Paul Gregory, Konye Taylor, Bennett DellaValle, and Xavier Carter, aided by two way man David Pace kept the Tigers generally at bay while Tyler Gibson finished with 8 saves and looked strong between the pipes. Kudos as well to Nate Venditto and John Golioto for doing so much of the grunt work at midfield.
     Girls Lax did not fare as well on the neighboring field, bowing to the Tigers 17-6. The Hornets were led by Mila Millhouse who scored 3 goals, and Bella Mecca who scored a goal and added two assists. Molly Schmitz and Siena Kyriakides each added a goal to the Hornets’ total. Alex Blaise led the defensive efforts with 3 ground balls and 2 caused turnovers and Tab Gray recorded 5 saves in net. The Hornets are back in action next Saturday where they take on Convent of the Sacred Heart at 12 PM at Beckerman Athletic Center.
     Girls Varsity Tennis did not play GCD Saturday, but hosted their Greenwich neighbor, Convent of the Sacred Heart, and came out on top, 5-1, in a rain shortened match. Vanessa Gold won her debut singles match and Melanie Onofrej won her debut doubles match. Sophie Bannon recorded her second win of the year at #1 singles. Coach Adam Mirsky commented, "Sophie has had some very strong opponents, so it was nice to see her get another win."  It was a gratifying win after the Hornets had lost 5-2 at Kingswood-Oxford on Wednesday in a match that was much closer than the score suggested. Eighth grader Theo Aslan won at #2 singles and Rachel Danishevsky won at #4 singles, while the #1 doubles of Vanessa Gold and Olanma Ikekpeazu were edged out in a very close match. "It's been a good season so far for a very young team," remarked Coach Mirsky, "with 8 or 9 starters in their very first year of high school tennis competition."

     Another team that did not play GCD was Varsity Golf, who traveled instead to Rhode Island to compete in the McCampell Cup series at the Cranston Country Club. The team captured the silver, finishing runners-up to Belmont Hill from the Boston area. Standout junior Ben James put on a display and took top individual honors with an impressive 68, winning by 3 in a field that included 2 seniors bound for DI powers Vanderbilt and Georgetown.
Click here to view the results:
http://www.juniorgolfresults.golfstat.com/gscode/public/leaderboards/player/index.cfm?tournament_id=1068