Julia Acosta’s hat trick powers Greenwich High girls soccer team past West Haven in first round of CIAC Class LL Tournament

By David Fierro on November 7, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Photo by David Fierro: Greenwich senior captain Julia Acosta scored three goals in the Cardinals’ 5-0 victory vs. West Haven.

Monday’s game against West Haven in the first round of the CIAC Class LL Girls Soccer Tournament marked Greenwich High School’s first matchup since it competed in the FCIAC Tournament on Oct. 26, so the Cardinals, indeed, had plenty of time to prepare for their state postseason contest.

And the Cardinals showed they were more than ready for the state playoffs to begin.

Senior forward Julia Acosta recorded a hat trick to spark seventh-seeded Greenwich to a decisive 5-0 victory over No. 27 West Haven in the opening round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament. The Cardinals advanced to the round of 16, where they will host 11th-seeded Southington Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. under the lights at Cardinal Stadium.

“The state tournament, it’s tough because you are playing teams that you have never played,” Greenwich coach Simon Rumbold said. “You always go in wondering a little bit. But we felt confident going in. We had a really good week of practice the last six or seven days. It was nice to hone in on what we needed to work on.”

Emma Abbazia in action during a regular-season soccer game for the Greenwich High girls soccer team. Abbazia, a senior, scored three goals in Greenwich’s 5-0 triumph against West Haven in the first round of the Class LL Tournament.

Along with Acosta’s three goals, senior forward Emma Abbazia and senior midfielder Anna Martschenko scored one goal apiece to also pace the Cardinals, who were strong on both ends of the field.

“We scored some really good team goals, which was nice,” Rumbold noted. “We had good ball movement throughout and we were making good passes. I was pleased with that – we also created four or five other chances.”

Acosta was difficult for West Haven to defend in Monday’s Class LL Tournament opener. She scored the first three goals of the state tournament matchup, then Martschenko and Abbazia followed with goals.

“Through watching film, we were able to pull pretty good stats and see where we could get Julia into areas where she could be getting shots off from closer in,” Rumbold said. “She was brilliant. She can strike the ball as good as anyone when we get here into those areas – good things can happen. Her and Emma have a good partnership in terms of being selfless and assisting each other.”

Senior Lauren Huang got the shutout win in goal for the Cardinals, (11-2-5). Should Greenwich defeat Southington on Wednesday, they will advance to the quarterfinal-round, which takes place on Friday.