CT Championships: Game Stamford Comes Up Short In Class LL Boys Soccer

HARTFORD, CT — Redemption.

One year removed from a gut-wrenching, penalty kick loss to Greenwich High School, Hall High School enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) another gut-wrenching final in the 2023 CIAC Class LL state championship game on the same field.

But, this time, the Titans closed out the contest against Greenwich's Gold Coast neighbor, Stamford High School, 1-0, to win the program's 10th state championship.

It was a goal scored early, with Hall making it stick with 77 minutes of gutsy defense.

Fifth-ranked Hall battled against the No. 14 Stamford High School Black Knights at a frigid Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, normally home to Hartford Athletic.

Fighting off a relentless Stamford, led by coach Mike Summa, Hall — which won its prior two CIAC tourney games 1-0 — did so again.

An emotional Hall boys soccer coach Zeke Seguro choked back tears, remembering the loss of his mother during the season, as well as a scrappy team he called a bunch of "grinders."

The 2022 team that lost the title, he said, had gifted athletes and technically skilled players.

But, according to Seguro, the 2023 squad had heart, chemistry, and a will to win.

"I told people we were better than people think," he said. "Our motto was together, we will get this done."

As for 2022, when Hall lost 4-3 on PKs after a 2-2 game against Greenwich, Seguro admitted it weighed on his veterans' minds — as well as his own.

"It was tough last year. We came in here with a great team," Seguro said of 2022. "To lose the way we lost last year? It was heartbreaking."

He also reflected on his team's three straight, 1-0 victories facing the highest pressure a high school player can face.

"We say they're grinders. They're a bunch of dogs," Seguro said. "We knew we were never going to be a team that's going to score two or three goals against a team of this caliber."

Hall's proximity to Hartford's United Soccer League stadium led to the CIAC state championship weekend's largest crowd of the day — and the coldest group.

The Titans scored in the game's first few minutes, with sophomore Diego Lemes De Souza scoring off a free kick pass from senior Jack Deloreto, making it 1-0.

Fast-paced, the game featured Hall's speedy attackers moving forward and pressuring Stamford defenders, who seemed up to the task in the first half after the early goal.

Stamford nearly tied the game with 18 minutes left in the first half, but a Black Knight goal was ruled offsides and it was disallowed.

Much of the rest of the first half saw Stamford attacking and, nearly, scoring, but Hall's defense bent, but didn't break.

An up-and-down first half ended with Hall still holding a 1-0 edge against the underdog Black Knights, who were still very much in the game.

The second half featured Stamford throwing bodies at Hall's goal, with three point-blank shots stopped by the Hall defense, including a goal-line header by a defender on a ball destined for the twine.

Shortly thereafter, a relentless Stamford hit the post on a crossing pass with nearly 22 minutes to go, with Hall desperately clinging to its 1-0 lead.

Exhibiting fleet-footed technical skills, Hall fought off Stamford's attack and walked off the artificial turf as state champions.

Hall, one of West Hartford's two public high schools, entered the CIAC tournament with a 10-3 record in the regular season and three draws.

Meanwhile, the Black Knight's improbable run to the finals came after an 8-4 regular season with four draws.

In the end, Seguro said the team's chemistry played a much larger role in their championship than their talent.

Said the coach: "They really, genuinely like one another."

From Nov. 19, 2022: 'Real Miracle On Fake Grass: Greenwich Shocks Hall In Boys Soccer'