Submitted by Janice Calvi-Ruimerman.
Thursday, April 21, 2022, was a true Battle of the Titans, as the Haddam Killingworth High School Cougars seemed to be outmatched by the strong Mercy offense, with one of their former teammates, Cora Rigg, now a Mercy Freshman, challenging her HK Cougar friends. With tenacity and precision, HK Seniors Yumi Imai (6 goals), Grace Cassidy (5 goals), accompanied by Audrey Wrinn, a Junior (3 goals), and Freshman Seanna Ruimerman (3 goals) definitely gave Mercy something to talk about. Samantha Ruimerman, Sophomore, and Ava Ramino, Freshman, held possession for the Cougars to the dismay of the Mercy draw. This game felt as though HK jumped into a Thirty Years War. The score was back and forth with a 1-point conversion at every turn. In the last minute and twenty-two seconds of the game, Freshman goalie Gabby Williams made the final save, leaving Mercy at 16 to HK’s victorious 17.
The Junior Varsity (JV) team clearly knew what they were getting into and came out strong with a 7-4 lead at the half. Freshman goalie Gabby Williams led the JV game, defending the Cougars box so aggressively she actually came out of goal for a steal of possession. The final score of 12 – 6 gave the JV team the win they wanted. Scorers this go-round were Sophomores Aly Campbell with 5 goals and Jaimey DiNapoli with 3 goals, while Juniors Jenna Whitmer and Kelsie Piela added 2 goals each. Senior goalie Rhianna “Rhi” Phipps, who started for Varsity, held the JV steady in the second half, leaving the Mercy girls empty at the buzzer.
Great game, Lady Cougars. Way to keep those sticks up!
