East Lyme — This is what Jen Sullivan envisioned when she took over the Ledyard High School girls' soccer program.

Build a championship-caliber team that relies on an opportunistic offense and a cohesive, tough to break down defense.

That successful formula delivered the third-seeded Colonels their first Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament championship, a 1-0 shutout of No. 4 Stonington on Wednesday at East Lyme High School.

It was a milestone victory for the program that's developed into a consistent winner since Sullivan became head coach in 2013.

"It means a lot to me because the girls have done an outstanding job," said Sullivan, a former Stonington soccer standout and a guidance counselor at her alma mater. "Each year, we've gotten better and better. The girls work hard and they play as a group. It's been awesome to watch."

There were very few quality scoring chances for either side, but the Colonels (14-4-1) capitalized on one early in the first half.

Senior Alyssa Samson collected a pass and dashed down the left side, cut inside and made a smart move around the last defender, then hit a well-placed low shot inside the near post about seven and a half minutes in. Samson earned most valuable player honors.

"She wanted to score today," Sullivan said. "She was preparing herself before the game. She wanted to win this for her team, her school and her community."

Samson didn't finish the game, leaving in the second half with a knee injury. She hopped out on to the field to celebrate with her team and then used a crutch.

"We were talking about it since day one," Samson said of winning a championship, "and then we finally got it. It is so important, especially for Ledyard. Jen has brought us so long from my sophomore year. We've worked really hard for it and we're so happy to get it."

The game pitted two first time ECC finalists. Stonington entered the game riding an impressive six-game winning streak.

While the Bears (14-5) had the edge in possession, they couldn't bust through a tough defensive wall. Nearly all of their 11 shots came from long range and found the trusty hands of goalie Delaney Gagnon (eight saves).

The cohesive back four of Olivia Holubecki, Megan Larmann, Renee Dupuis and Ally Van Volkenburg formed a nearly impenetrable defensive wall.

"We were just playing organized, dropping behind the ball, making sure they couldn't combine to get through and forcing them to play distance shots," Sullivan said. "We've been working on this for weeks."

"... Defense wins championships, that's what I tell them in training."

The Colonels had to scramble to survive two corner kicks in the final 12 minutes. The Bears pushed players forward but couldn't come up with the equalizer.

"I don't think we played our game the first half and then I think we dominated the second half," Stonington coach Dave Walsh said. "We just couldn't crack the goal, that's all."

"... Tough one to lose. We shouldn't have lost it, but we did. We tried."

Both Stonington and Ledyard will now prepare to play in the state tournament. Walsh feels good about his team's postseason chances.

"This team is going to go a long way in the states," Walsh said. "It's a minor setback."

• In the boys' final, top-seeded Bacon Academy scored a pair of second-half goals to pull away from No. 10 Woodstock Academy and win its second title with a 2-0 victory. Bacon's Colby Decker was named the tournament MVP.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe

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