Boys edge NFA on goal in overtime

Montville - The play of the game for East Lyme started innocuously, with a corner kick from the right side by Nate Delesdernier.

The ball bounced around a little bit until an East Lyme teammate quickly passed the ball back to Lex Wojcik, "as they're taught," coach Paul Christensen said.

Wojcik crushed a 35-yard shot that was the only difference in the Eastern Connecticut Conference boys' soccer tournament championship game Friday night at Montville High School.

A few hours after Christensen's freshman daughter Alison, the goalie, was the Most Valuable Player for the East Lyme girls' soccer team in its ECC championship victory, his third-seeded boys' team edged No. 4 NFA 1-0 in overtime for the title, as well.

Wojcik's blast came with 3 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the first 10-minute overtime period, ending the tournament.

East Lyme goalie Zach Kosakowski was named MVP after his 13th shutout of the season.

"It was a perfect ball, it was a perfect ending. Pinch me," said Christensen, who has two daughters on the girls' team, Alison and Katie.

"I've got to wrap my head around this. I won't be sleeping tonight. … If you'd have told me when we tied Old Lyme, 0-0, to start the season we'd be here in the ECC championship, I'd say, 'You're crazy,' because we struggled scoring goals. But they've stepped up to the level of competition."

The teams combined for only one goal during the regular season, tying 0-0 on Oct. 1 in Norwich.

East Lyme (13-1-5) then topped the Wildcats (12-5-1) 1-0 on Oct. 21 to claim the ECC Large Division title.

That meant Friday night's Part III figured to be a low-scoring game, as well.

NFA's Andris Vital hit the cross bar to begin the second half and Izaak Miller headed a ball saved by Kosakowski about halfway through the period.

East Lyme's Brandon Dinsmore appeared to beat NFA goalie Seth Strader with 14:58 to go, but missed just wide to the right.

And on it went until Wojcik's game-winner.

Christensen said Wojcik moved to play defensive midfield for the final 15 minutes when Vasilios Fokaidis came up with a sore Achilles.

East Lyme's Connor Callaghan also played limited minutes because of bronchitis, the coach said.

"For him to step up and hit that ball …" Christensen said of Wojcik, not finishing his sentence.

"I felt it coming once we got that corner," Wojcik said. "That was a rip, just a perfect ball (passed) to me. I've had one from that far before, but nowhere near that important. … We haven't lost in (seven) OTs this season. That's our game."

East Lyme beat Stonington 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals.

NFA defeated top-seeded Waterford 3-2 in double overtime, and while playing shorthanded for 30 minutes of the second half and all of overtime.

"When things are meant to be … it's East Lyme's night," NFA coach Robert Briones said.

"We were concerned about giving them a throw-in or giving them a kick. I'm very impressed with their defensive players."

"Give credit to Bobby," Christensen said of Briones' team. "They put us through it for a while, but a lot of their shots were from outside and Zach's going to clean those up for us."

v.fulkerson@theday.com