THOMASTON – Rivalries between neighboring towns are often a rich part of the high school sports experience. Every meeting takes on the mantle of a championship game for each town.
Nevertheless, last Friday’s Class S quarterfinal girls soccer game between Thomaston and Terryville spotlighted the possibility of lifting a longstanding feud to a whole new level of inspiration.
Call it mutual admiration.
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“It’s not like it was when I was young,” said one long-time observer/participant in the rivalry. “These kids play on co-op teams together.”
That’s especially true in girls soccer.
Ultra-successful Thomaston head coach Jenn Ewart’s first tour ended in her second year in 2007 when the team shut down after the seven-year-old program could field just seven players. Terryville wasn’t far ahead with its own unsuccessful record.
Survival for the sport led to the unthinkable: a co-op team between the two towns.
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It lasted a few years until each town produced enough players to separate again. Terryville went all the way to the Class S semifinals in 2016. Thomaston stayed moribund until Coach Ewart felt ready for her second tour in 2019.
The Golden Bears have climbed the tournament ladder one step at a time since then, reaching last year’s pinnacle of a semifinal appearance and this year’s quarterfinal matchup with Terryville.
In their fourth meeting of the season Friday, the play looked even except on the scoreboard: Thomaston 3, Terryville 0.
Praise came from both directions.
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“We thought our advantage was speed,” said Terryville head coach Brian Rosano, whose Kangaroos finished fourth in the Berkshire League and ranked ninth in Class S (12-6-1). “They matched us all over the field, top to bottom.”
Terryville placed one player on the BL all-star team, sophomore midfielder Taylor Freimuth. Thomaston had four: seniors Claire Saunders (midfielder) and Amber Quick (defender) and juniors Sofia Coer (midfielder) and Liliana VanOrmer (defender).
All four of the Thomaston all-stars think the rivalry still exists – in a good way.
“They’re the hardest team for us to play; it’s always fun,” said Coer.
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“Terryville is such a strong team,” said Saunders.
“You never know what to expect,” defines Quick.
“They always bring something new to the table,” adds VanOrmer.
The Thomaston players are just as effusive about their own teammates.
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“They love the sport and they love each other,” said Coach Ewart after the Golden Bears’ first BL girls soccer title this year led to a Class S No. 1 ranking (16-0-2). “I think that’s what’s driving our success.”
After Friday’s quarterfinal win, the Thomaston all-stars lined up to shower each other with praise.
The defenders can’t say enough about their offensive midfielders: “She takes any pass and makes something out of it,” says Quick about Coer, this year’s scoring leader with 25 goals.
“She’s unpredictable,” says VanOrmer.
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Saunders is Thomaston’s all-time leading scorer (84 goals) despite missing most of last year with a torn ACL.
“She moves before we get her the ball.” Ewart said. “She can shield the ball against anyone and take on a whole team if she has to.”
The midfielders are just as excited about their defenders: “She has such a great soccer IQ; she anticipates the ball two passes before she gets to it,” Saunders says of Quick.
“She’s the fastest player on our team; she comes out of nowhere to make a stop,” says Coer about VanOrmer.
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Thomaston was set to play No. 5 Lyman Memorial (15-3-1 from the Eastern Connecticut Conference) in its second straight semifinal appearance Tuesday.
The Bulldogs, runners up in last year's Class S finals, beat Terryville in the second round.
Chances are, the Kangaroos lined the sidelines at Glastonbury High School, cheering their hearts out for their now-friendly rivals, the Golden Bears.