St. Joseph and East Hampton lead state polls as CIAC season begins
The two top teams in Connecticut girls soccer hold strong rankings ahead of Friday's tournament start, with St. Joseph collecting eight of 11 first-place votes.
By Oliver Bennett ·
St. Joseph and East Hampton remain the top-ranked girls soccer teams in their respective Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference classes as the state tournaments begin this Friday. The two programs have maintained their positions at the top of the Class LL/L and M/S coaches polls, respectively, heading into the postseason.
St. Joseph secured eight of the 11 first-place votes in the Class LL/L standings. Glastonbury, which received one first-place vote, climbed to the number two spot. Greenwich moved up to number three, while Simsbury and Ridgefield completed the top five in that division.
East Hampton swept all 14 first-place votes available in the Class M/S poll. Tolland, Stonington, Old Saybrook, and Lauralton Hall finished in the bottom four spots of the top five rankings for that class.
The current standings reflect performance through the end of the regular season and do not include results from league tournament play. Mercy, previously ranked ninth, dropped out of the Class LL/L poll. Other teams in that division receiving votes include Masuk, which is 11-2-3, and Cheshire, which is 11-2-3.
In the Class M/S division, Holy Cross, with a 12-4-0 record, received six votes. Weston, Thomaston, and New Fairfield also earned votes from the 14 coaches participating in the poll. The voting panel includes head coaches from schools across the state, such as Ken Goodale from East Catholic and Rob McConville from Hand.
