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Sports

Bunnell Soccer Dismantles Stratford in 8-0 Rout

Six different Bulldogs score in rout of in-town rival.

Six different players on Bunnell High School Boys Varsity Soccer scored in a 8-0 win Saturday against in-town rival Stratford High.

"We had a game plan and we executed it,” said Bunnell Head Coach James Ginand. “Stratford came out like they always do and played us tough, but I was pleased that we jumped on them early, didn’t let up, and possessed the ball more than our competition."

Senior midfielder Freddy Metellus opened the scoring for the Bulldogs with a first-half goal set up by fellow senior Zachary Zurita. Stratford High's junior goalkeeper David Herrara had a busy day between the posts, defending an almost constant flow of shots from Bunnell. After a series of impressive saves, Bunnell notched their second goal when Eduardo Romero fed senior Justin Lewis for the score to make it 2-0.

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After Bunnell's second goal, Stratford showed signs of an attacking offense with junior Mario Salomon and sophomore Chris Gonzalez each having a go at goal, although unable to find the back of Bunnell's net. Not long after the two shots misfired, Bunnell senior Andrew Kratchowil passed the ball upfield to Zurita, who deftly dribbled through three Red Devils before tucking the ball behind Stratford's goalkeeper in the bottom right-hand corner.

With one minute left in the half, Bunnell junior midfielder James Gillespie nailed the ball from outside the box, giving the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead at the end of the half. Though Stratford had many promising fast breaks and through balls, the Red Devils weren't able to get on the scoreboard.

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The second half saw more of the same from both sides, although Stratford seemed to make more of an effort to bring players forward. However, the fifth goal of the match went to Bunnell, as a deflected shot from Zurita gave the Bulldogs a 5-goal advantage. Stratford's Salomon tried to answer Zurita's score but was unable to find the back of the goal from a shot inside the box. Bunnell took a 6-0 lead after Metellus cleanly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head.

As the game progressed, it was clear the Bunnell attack was wearing down Stratford's offense. The seventh and most impressive goal of the game came from senior Kyle Burke, who beamed the ball from 35 yards out to beat the Stratford keeper. The last goal of the game came via a header from Bunnell junior Chris Carniero.

"I’m very happy with the shutout, but we aren’t perfect and we do need to work on our defense," said Ginand.

"In the beginning, I believe that the crowd and myself didn’t know which way the game was going to go,” said Stratford Head Coach Chuck Mullen. “Fitness and conditioning certainly showed. I wish it went the other way but I am very proud of our guys."

Bunnell plays Guilford next at their home field today at 4 p.m. The Red Devils are slated to take on Weston tomorrow, Tuesday, at Penders Field at 4 p.m.

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