By Chris Mulhall

It was Friday, November 25, 2011, the day after Thanksgiving. The parking spots were scarce, the lines were long, and the crowds were enormous. No, I was not at Wal-Mart scrambling to take advantage of their Black Friday specials. I was at West Haven High School, waiting to get into the stadium to watch Pomperaug take on Trumbull in the Class LL boys’ soccer state championship game.

I arrived and got in line just as the game started. The Panthers got to work right away, and within five minutes, the Pomperaug Superfans’ eruption into applause and cheer told me that Pomperaug had scored a goal. As would later be announced over the PA system, the credit for that goal goes to Taylor Ellsworth, who headed a free kick from Ricky Pitman. The rest of the half was scoreless, but by no means uneventful. Numerous times, Trumbull came dangerously close to the Pomperaug goal, but keeper Zach Goodridge and the Pomperaug defense prevented Trumbull from scoring any goals in the first half. The fortieth minute ticked away, and it was half time.

The second half was very similar to the first half. That is, Pomperaug again scored shortly after the half began. This time, Mike Burke scored off of a corner kick from Ricky Pitman in the forty-third minute to make the score 2-0. This second goal would later prove to be the game winner. The Panther defense would prevent any scoring by Trumbull until the sixtieth minute, when the Eagles scored off of a penalty kick. This made the score 2-1, causing a serious increase in the intensity of play by both teams. Nevertheless, Pomperaug held through to the end, and the one-defeated Panthers were crowned the 2011 Class LL champions. The recognition did not stop at the state level. Recently, the NSCAA, or National Soccer Coaches Association of America, also voted to rank the Panthers seventh in the nation. It was a historic season for the Pomperaug boys, and was one that will be remembered for many years to come.