By Carl Cavrell
(September 8, 2026) — After a productive pre-season, the Haddam Killingworth High School Boys Soccer team soundly defeated Portland in the first game of the season. It didn’t take long as Luca Piacenti opened the scoring in the first few minutes of the game. It was only a couple of minutes later that Efstratios Dhembi put in the second goal.
Unfortunately, later in the half, both Strati and Captain Tristin Edwards went down with lower-leg injuries. Fortunately, both players returned to the game. HKHS continued to move the ball very well up the field and defend with tenacity. Luca Piacenti scored again, followed by a goal by Nolan Sheppard to end the half up 4-0.
Every player on the team saw a good deal of playing time, and the scoring ended with a goal from Jake Favalora to make the final score 5-0. Goalkeeper Oskar Heikkila notched his first clean sheet of the year. It was a great team effort for HKHS as they look ahead to their contest with Old Saybrook at home on September 11, 2026.
