At 3:00 PM on Friday, October 31, the Bobcats of South Windsor kicked off the first round of the CIAC class LL state tournament at home against the Hamden Green Dragons. The home Bobcats entered the tournament as the six seed and looked to continue their strong season with a deep run in the playoffs.
The back-and-forth started early but would quickly falter when South Windsor junior Riley Lyons got around his defender and snuck a shot past the diving goalie for the game’s opening goal just several minutes in.
Lyons’ goal gave the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead that stood for the majority of the first half. In the waning minutes of the half, Hamden pushed the ball down the field and connected on a game-tying goal that stood until the halftime buzzer sounded.
Things turned chippy in the second half after several questionable calls and no calls. The crowd had gotten increasingly loud and made for a dynamic ending.
Both teams knew they needed to find a break in the second half and punch in the winning goal, but neither side could. As the minutes passed, both teams had chances but couldn’t convert.
Several missed shots by the Bobcats kept them scoreless in the second half, but they would get major help from junior goalie Eshaan Dey making a plethora of huge saves to keep Hamden out of the net. The horn blared and sent the game to overtime.
The overtime rules for the tournament feature two, ten minute halves. In the first of the two halves, Hamden would kick things off with a goal about four minutes in. The crowd who made the drive to South Windsor erupted and seemed to kill any momentum the home team had.
Just as all seemed lost, Bobcats captain Hayden Xhokaxhiu, fresh off breaking the school single season goal record, took things into his own hands. Xhokaxhiu raced down the left side of the field and found mere inches of separation from his defender, but that would be all he needed as he fired a shot that found the back of the net.
Not even one minute after falling behind, the ‘Cats top player evened up the score and swung the momentum back towards the home team’s favor.
The first half of overtime came to a close tied at two. As the final overtime half began, both teams knew they had to act quick and avoid going to penalties.
After a few close moments, the Bobcats got the ball and were starting to mount a strong possession. Senior Naol Trifessa won a battle for the ball and found junior Blake Lyons. The junior connected with Xhokaxhiu on the left side.
Xhokaxhiu knew this was the best moment they’d have. The senior captain broke right and launched a bullet that found the top right corner of the net and gave the Bobcats a 3-2 lead. The crowd broke into pure pandemonium as Xhokaxhiu was swarmed by teammates. With just under four minutes left, Xhokaxhiu seemed to put the game away.
Hamden attempted to get a shot in and tried to knock in a header when the ball soared in the air near the net, but as a few Hamden players went up, they collided with Dey in net. Dey went down and was hurt badly.
Dey left the game and made all the emotions come out for his Bobcats teammates. With still 2:53 left to play, the team had to finish strong. When the game finally resumed, the Bobcats defense came up big and prevented any shots from getting off. The clock struck zero and the Bobcats escaped with a 3-2 win.
Xhokaxhiu spoke to The Prowl after the game, saying “I believe as a team, we were nervous about an elimination game which is why we started off slow, so I knew as an experienced player that I needed to lead by example.”
Fellow senior captain Jaxson Hills feels strongly about the team’s bond and performance, “This game could have been our final game of the season. It was a win or go home situation. Our team has experienced numerous highs and lows, particularly in that game. Ultimately, we consistently demonstrate why we are considered one of the best teams in the state,” Hills said.
Through all the emotions from the game, the Bobcats did what they’ve done all season: fight back. After beating Hamden, the ‘Cats host Newtown on Monday, November 3 at 2:00 PM in the second round, looking to make it back to the quarterfinals for the first time in three years.
