CIAC Glory Days
The CIAC Glory Days podcast immerses listeners into the world of high school athletics. Explore the purpose and impact of interscholastic athletics on student-athletes as administrators, coaches, players, officials, parents, and State Athletic Association staff take listeners on a journey from tryouts to championships.
CIAC Glory Days
Inside Bacon Academy’s 2023 Class M Girls Soccer State Championship!🏆⚽️
Join Host Jada Mirabelle on the latest episode of the Glory Days Podcast as she welcomes the Captains and Coach of Bacon Academy's 2023 Class M Girls Soccer State Championship team! ⚽️
Head Coach Matt Rafala, along with Senior Captains Elizabeth Glover (Goaltender), Veronica Smith (Center Back), and Audrey Palmer (Striker), share their incredible journey to becoming CIAC Girls Soccer State Champions for the first time in their school’s history. Discover what drove them to success, hear their insights on teamwork and leadership, the games they’re eagerly anticipating this season, pre-game routines, and their thoughts on off-season training, and the new CIAC rule allowing high school coaches to coach their teams for two days a week, for two hours per session in the summer.
Plus, enjoy a fun and fast-paced Q&A with Bacon Academy’s champions. Don’t miss out on this behind-the-scenes look at their winning journey and inspiring stories! 🔥🎙️
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Welcome to CIAC's Glory Days podcast. I'm your host, jada Maribel, and today I am joined with the 2023 Class M Girls Soccer State Champions, bacon Academy. I am joined with head coach Matt Raffala, who has been leading the Bacon Academy girls soccer team for three seasons now. Elizabeth Glover, who is all-conference goaltender, who missed all but just three games this past season while recovering from ACL surgery, but luckily she was cleared just in time to start playing again recovering from ACL surgery, but luckily she was cleared just in time to start playing again.
Speaker 1:Senior captain, all-conference center back, veronica Smith, who scored two penalty kicks in the championship game to help earn the first ever Bacon Academy girls soccer state title. And senior captain two-time all-state player, audrey Palmer, who led the team in goals these past two seasons. What a memorable season you all were able to accomplish this year, winning Bacon Academy's first ever girls soccer state championship title. It was an easy road and most definitely was not an easy championship game. The game went to double overtime where you ultimately won 2-1, 11-10 in penalty kicks against number one seeded Southfield High School. Looking back at this past season, what do you think worked best to help you earn the state championship?
Speaker 2:title. I think just playing together, playing for each other, I think that really is really what we all strive for. Just playing for each other, not so much thinking about I mean obviously thinking about the result we want to win, but more playing for each other. Like the boys have a motto, it's side before self, and I think that we make fun of it a lot, but it's a good one as a team.
Speaker 1:That's what it comes down to. So, Coach, was there anything that you did differently this season compared to the prior 2022 season, where the team fell just short in the CIC semifinals? Was there any coaching strategy that helped you finally get the first state championship appearance?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think after the year before we made the semifinals and lost to Mercy, who was arguably the best team in the state eventual state champions I think the biggest issues that we had were we just needed to go out and play our style. We tried too much to mold our style to fit what we thought Mercy was going to be. So as a coaching staff we kind of came to the decision that if we were lucky enough to get the opportunity again, we were just going to go in and play our style. Throughout the season we made sure we played two, three different formations. That way we could change it up and the girls would feel comfortable. But at the end of the day we didn't want to change who we were because we felt that we were good enough to get there.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, it definitely worked. So, besides sticking to your own style, what other core values do you try to instill within the girls soccer?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean Liz touched on it a little bit with the boys model side for self, but it's really just that team, that family mentality. When the season ends, you get the to expand the rosters. We had 27 girls in the program at the time and I've opened it up to let anybody join thinking that they would come, they would go.
Speaker 3:My only requirement was that they be committed. Whether it's a week, two weeks or three weeks, they come to every practice, they come to every game. All 27 players came, and the JV players, the freshman players. They came not expecting to play, so, based on what we were able to create over the season, they, they came and at the end of the day, they were beyond instrumental, creating the atmosphere, helping us with penalty kicks, helping us with the prep, helping us with game plan. But to have all 27 players jump at the chance who've been three months in, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, that's a great change to make. Yeah, especially to have everyone involved. So let's talk about the championship game First off. It was freezing cold. It was absolutely frigid. I can't even explain how cold it was it was. I can tell Right, you guys were amped up. Maybe you didn't feel it or you're just numb, but it was so cold you can't even compare it to anything. But you guys still played hard, you held the line and you sent it into double overtime where you ultimately won 11 to 10 in pks, which I think it was a.
Speaker 1:I believe it was around 15 rounds of penalty kicks, which is unheard of that's a lot right yes so at audrey, you sadly got hurt during the championship game and had to exit just one minute before the first overtime. But somehow you found the strength, you came back in. You scored a penalty kick on your one good and uninjured leg. So what was your mindset like in that moment? What was the motivation to help push you through?
Speaker 5:It was just definitely I didn't think I would be able to like not take the kick. I didn't want to put that pressure onto any one of our many like capable players, because we've taken PKs throughout the whole entire season after practice. So I knew I was ready. I kind of knew what I like I don't know. It was just an adrenaline thing, an emotional time. I was like I have to do this, I have to be the one to do it. It's kind of like how we all have practiced. I was the first PK taker throughout the whole season and I just didn't want to mess up the flow and I knew I could do it and it worked out.
Speaker 1:It worked. And, liz, the state championship was just nine months after your ACL surgery, which caused you to miss the majority of the season, and after a stellar goaltending performance in the championship game, you're able to score the winning PK for your team. And what a special moment that was to witness. Knowing your story, you scored that winning PK and you almost looked around like stunned and not sure if that was the winning goal. I mean, I can imagine, so tell us a little bit about that moment and what was racing through your mind.
Speaker 2:When I look back at all those videos I'm like how was I still on my feet?
Speaker 3:How did I not fall?
Speaker 2:to my knees. But I mean, in the moment I wasn't really thinking like this is it Like I have to make this or everything is going like crashing and burning. I was just thinking like I want to score, I want this for the team, I want everybody to like be able to celebrate each other and realize that we are good enough. We did make it this far and when I scored I was kind of I was like my God what.
Speaker 2:I was like, yeah, pretty much. And I mean I was looking around I felt like I couldn't see anything and then Alyssa was right in front of my face. I was like, oh, but man, it's just like it was a big adrenaline rush that whole game. Like you said, it was freezing cold. I could not tell you. No, I was like stress, sweating the whole time. So I mean scoring, that it felt great. I mean, obviously, scoring feels great, especially as a goalie. I never do that. But, um, scoring and then hearing the whole like crowd go insane, seeing all my like favorite people in the world running at me, it was, it was the best.
Speaker 1:And you said, you guys practiced pks after every normal practice. Were you ever in the lineup? Elizabeth, were you ever in the lineup? Yeah, I'm 10th.
Speaker 2:That's where. That's where matt says the stress is.
Speaker 3:So we uh actually credit to the boys team on this one.
Speaker 3:So we uh, we used them for the two weeks their season ended and they had about 15 players that stayed for the entire postseason with us. In every training they would go through phases of play. If we wanted to press or build on the backs, they were opposition. At the end of every practice we went through the penalty kicks, Just realistically. I knew who the first five were going to be, and probably six and seven, but had to figure out eight, nine until I got to Liz at 10. So we did that to kind of test it.
Speaker 3:But the fun part, or fun for us at least was is, you had 15, 20 boys, you had the cross-country team, you had the random students and, uh, we made them line up at midfield like a real game and we made a tunnel of all their peers and kids and the only rule was. You need to be as loud and obnoxious as you could try to create as much stress as you could.
Speaker 3:So every practice, two, three times we went through it and they had to walk through the tunnel of. At the end of the week kids were coming just for the penalty Just to come and yell at the players and and it made it an interesting environment. But yeah, replicating the walk that's a long walk by yourself and a lot of times you don't know but that was a big thing and the voicing helped out a ton with that one that's good practice for those high pressure moments.
Speaker 2:Yeah because stuff field student section showed up. They were loud, they did a lot of them.
Speaker 1:So, talking about those high pressure moments, veronica, you helped score two penalty kicks in the championship game. So besides that extra practice with the tunnel of players, was there anything else that you guys use any other type of strategy to deal with that double overtime and those penalty kicks and that high pressure?
Speaker 4:I think it was mostly, like you said, like mentality. I actually did miss mine in the semifinals, so I think it was. I think like the practice really helped. And then, even after it was like okay, everyone's done, taking a couple shots, like Liz and I would stay after a little bit and I would keep taking them because I was like like I like want to do this one for myself, but like also for my team, so like I like can make sure I was ready for it.
Speaker 4:So then, like when I was jogging up, sort of it was like I've done this so many times. I know what like my spot is. Like I had like my whole team being like you got this, like like, like like the whole, like basically support behind me, like it's like even if you do miss, like we're still here for you was like amazing. And then also it was like the whole student section. So I think it was really just like the whole, like basically staying positive and just like concentrated, like I knew where I was going to go and it wasn't like overthinking it. It was sort of just like staying in that mindset of this is where I'm going to go, like this is like I've done this so many times. It's just like at this point, it's like let's just like do it.
Speaker 1:You just revert back to the drills and the practice and the support always helps. So, as the current reigning class and champions, if you had to share a piece of advice to fellow athletes and fellow coaches, what would you say?
Speaker 2:start with you. Okay, um, I would say, trust your team and trust yourself and be confident. I think nobody in the entire state expected us to win, except for us, matt especially, and Krista Prates. She, she had us getting ready. She was like no, nobody like is gonna expect this, so do it like we were the underdogs. But that don't. I don't think that ever really mattered for us. We just went on to go out there and show everybody what we can do and I think that was a really big part of our win just being confident, being who we are you were picked to be the first round upstate of the tournament, so oh yeah, we were supposed to lose every single round.
Speaker 5:Actually, that was printed um, I guess for the piece of advice definitely, definitely, kind of, no matter how much success we did have, definitely next year we need to stay humble, go into any easy game. No, it's just easy for us because we have many talented players on our team where we're used to just kind of cruising by sometimes. And I think we need to definitely go into next season not expecting any easy wins, no matter who. We think If we beat them it doesn't matter. I think we just need to go in and just try to like start, take it game by game, because we don't know if we'll get back there again. So just kind of take it game by game, just work hard for it, don't look too far ahead.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think it's like like every player matters whether you're starting on the field or you're not starting on the field. I think it's like basically like everyone has a certain role, whether it's in the game itself or it's in the practice. So I think it's sort of like Audrey said, like stay humble. In that mindset, like even if you start a game, like that doesn't promise you'll start the next one. Like you have to keep working, so one you improve yourself, but then also, if you're doing your best, you can also improve others and make them do their best. So I think that's like one of the mindsets like basically basically making sure everyone's at their top.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great answer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I mean just to kind of go off of what they were saying. I think the biggest thing that we've always talked about is that next game, that next game. You look at the conference we're in. It's one of the most underrated conferences. We're top to bottom. It's loaded and the teams that are supposed to be the easy teams are tight games and there are no blowouts. If you look at our record, you know we kind of make it a six and a half wins. You get to States. It's not let's go 15 and 16 and 0 or let's win this title or that division, it's six and a half wins is the target. And then get healthy at the right time and peak in the right time, because it doesn't really matter what you do in September, it's all about the end of the season.
Speaker 1:It's very true. So do any of you have?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't call it a routine, but we have, like our like little things that we do before each game. Like I always braid Veronica's hair, which if you ever come to the JV basketball games, you'll see me braiding the entire varsity team's hair every game. We're all just focused on each other in the pregame. We're always getting each other hyped up and ready. It's not, I would never say, a routine. We never do the same thing twice but, um, we have each have our little order and the lines and the passing lines and all that.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's a lot too superstitious, but just a little bit a little, tiny bit for me, definitely on away games.
Speaker 5:I have more of a routine um on the longer bus rides. I do take a nap before. Even if I have slept a full, like like 11 hours night before I will sleep on the bus. I will do my hair on the bus after the nap and then I have usually an energy drink air pods in.
Speaker 5:Yeah and then yeah that's kind of how I do it, even if it's a home game, maybe minus the nap, because they're usually after school minus the nap. Yeah, it's like we always go outside to our little like picnic bench areas and that's kind of where we all talk, we put our cleats on and that's kind of like my routine getting ready for the game, we all talk, or even if we don't talk, it's music and it's just kind of like game mode. So those are kind of my routines for both home and away, I mean mine is like always, like when it's an away games.
Speaker 4:We all have, like certain spots on the bus that we sit every single time.
Speaker 4:So I just think like that's sort of my superstition is like everyone has to say where they're seated, yeah, um.
Speaker 4:And then, sort of like audrey said, like, um, everyone has their spot in the line. And then I also like during, sort of during warm-ups, before the game starts, like I do because I'm like a defender, so I do long balls with the other defenders while, like the attackers shoot, so like I always stay on the certain side of the field, like basically, like next to the bench, and then like I'm doing long balls with my partner, and then it's like you do a couple, and then once I get like a couple good ones in, I might take a break, just like I'm not overworking my foot. But then, like, basically, when Matt says, like okay, everyone bring it in, like my partner, each and I have to do like a good one, and then like we have to keep going until we get that good one, and then we can bring it in, yeah they're always quite interesting to see how athletes differ with the routines, because some are so superstitious as individual athletes.
Speaker 1:What does training look like for you in the off season? Do you have certain teams you play on, or what's it look like we are actually talking?
Speaker 2:about this in the car right here.
Speaker 5:We don't have an off season off season, like because they do, they do basketball. But even then it's still. We have an indoor season for oakwood.
Speaker 2:So it's like so we're like basketball, then go to soccer like we don't really have, even in the summer, it's.
Speaker 5:It's not that, it's just we have our summer league so yeah on our own year round.
Speaker 2:Basically yeah we just so, we soccer so I mean not many of us have an off season which or other sports.
Speaker 5:They do.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, very, and we're all very active I think it's also like helps when you do a different sport, or like you're like doing other things other than just like you do get the break like yeah
Speaker 4:exactly but it's also like you don't like think about soccer 24 7, like to the point where, like, you can still like love the sport at the same time, because you're, like not always thinking about it yeah yeah so how do you think this new ciac rule allowing teams to now practice two days a week for two hours per session will help benefit your team and other teams heading into the upcoming season, matt?
Speaker 2:I've heard you talk in a while, so for anyone that's taking over a program.
Speaker 3:It's huge, it's massive. You can instill your foundations, your culture, how you want to play, how you see your team. Um, it's a great opportunity for any coach doing that, for a coach that's coming into a program like we have, where we didn't. We have a lot of returning players. Um, it's a great time for us to try new things right, so we can train together, we can work on little things that we don't have time to do later on, and it gets a lot of stuff out of the way we can play with formations. Maybe we want to change that. Maybe we want to change the way we play a little bit here and there.
Speaker 3:So it was definitely a shock that that got passed and that did happen, but as a coach I was excited about that it's a good time for the team to practice and mesh together and try new things, yeah, and especially the incoming freshmen.
Speaker 1:It's nice like family bonding. Yeah, you get to know them a little bit, see their strengths.
Speaker 3:Plus they go into high school and they know 25 friends. Yeah, it's a good social thing for a lot of the incoming freshmen.
Speaker 2:So those freshmen see us in the hallway. They're like no, they know you. Yes, right.
Speaker 1:So who do you think will be your toughest matchup this season?
Speaker 5:I think for us, no matter any in season or out season game, we play in a very, like matt said, very strong conference, so I don't really think there will like for any games looking forward to us. I kind of think we have a chance at any of like I don't know. Yeah, yeah, a tough season ahead of us, so I think we can look forward to any of them because they're going to be good games, no matter what.
Speaker 2:Exactly. There's no one game that's on our calendar that we have like circled and like we're not. Yeah, we're going to take it game by game, yeah game by game.
Speaker 4:Basically it's like not like being like she said, like not having a circle team, but basically like everyone is like everyone is a challenge, everyone is like having that mindset like no one is like an easy team we can be like we're looking forward to all of them yeah, you have to figure, yeah, I was gonna say you're gonna get the best from a lot of these teams.
Speaker 3:There's no sneaking up on teams anymore, right teams, no, teams know who you are. Teams know who your players are teams have heard of bacon academy now even maybe you know, so that, that there's no sneaking up and not that you would ever sneak up on anyone in the ecc, but when you do play the non-conference game, sometimes you get overlooked um there won't be anyone overlooking you this year, so it'll be.
Speaker 3:You'll get the best from every team, which will be exciting to see what games are you most looking forward to this season and why?
Speaker 3:we do have rivalry games that have deep-rooted rivalries, a lot of these. The ecc is so tight together, location wise, that these kids play each other in travel, they play each other in rec, they play each other in premiere and on top of, they play with each other, not just against each other. So there's a lot of friendships there. Um, there's environments that are extraordinarily fun to go play in because of the atmosphere, um, you know. So the obvious ones that we come out to mind is you know, anytime you get to play waterford away, it's's a fun game.
Speaker 4:It's exciting for both teams. It's a rivalry game. It's a stressful game.
Speaker 3:It's a heated game for fans. It's a fun time Playing Stonington under the lights is one of the hardest places to play, just the massive stadium. It's sunken in down low. Yeah, East Lyme the same way and they really do protect, taking the pitcher with the bear. At the end it's very hard to get that result there. And then Eastline's a team that we haven't beaten in a very long time. They play a completely different style. They play on a field that's massive, and those are three very different ones.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, good mashups to look forward to. And, captains, how will you lead the team this season? What will you be implementing from last season to this season? Will you be changing anything or trying to improve upon anything?
Speaker 5:um, I'll start. I don't think we're going to try to necessarily change anything for our upcoming season. We obviously had, we've had, very successful seasons prior to the next one, and I think we're kind of have we've had great captains that have helped us become the leaders of our team now, and I think we're going to definitely take some of their qualities and just we always want to be the role models.
Speaker 4:So, no, we won't be barking orders at our players, but we one of us leads by example and if someone else sees that, then it helps us kind of just lead the team, lead the team by example, and that's kind of what we're going to try to do, I bet I think it's also really helpful that we all play different positions, so like it's like leading different parts of the team, so like defense and then goal, like you can see everything like basically in the offense, of course, like I think it's really helpful that we can like basically like give instructions, like and lead different parts of the team and like what we know like to ourselves, so it's not like I'm like telling, oh, the offense, like oh, go, do this. When like like I can tell the defense and like what we know to like do ourselves.
Speaker 4:So it's not like I'm like telling oh the offense, like oh, go do this, when like like I can tell the defense and like I know I can trust Audrey to tell the offense what like I might be thinking.
Speaker 5:Yeah we can talk to it and it also helps that, like we all do play different positions, like you said, so when it's just us three and we notice something, we can all share a different perspective. Liz sees something I don't see. I my back turned half the time. Like it's Veronica sees what I'm maybe. Oh, we need our forwards, to move more. And she tells me that and like I can relate a message and it's just a good like kind of chemistry between us that will help.
Speaker 2:Yeah, especially, we've been playing together for 14 years oh, forever, a long time time. So, yeah, like we, we're usually all on the same page. Like Audrey said, we all have great chemistry, so we're always like. We're like. None of us are scared of talking to each other, like making, like correcting something or being together. We all I think we all just want to like play for each other and do the best for each other, and that's how we're going to lead this team it makes it so much easier that you have that bond to help lead the team.
Speaker 1:Yes, and if you were to choose one team motto heading into this next season, what would it be? I know you mentioned the boys' soccer team has one, but what would yours be?
Speaker 2:We were talking about this in the car. We have no idea. We don't have one yet that I'm aware of.
Speaker 3:As coaches, we've thrown a few around that nothing's really stuck and felt right. I mean, I think it kind of comes out organically. I think within the season, once it gets going. This is a new position for everyone. Defending is something that never happened in soccer in the big academy. It's just you're going to see the best from everybody and we're looking forward to that. So, if anything, just one game at a time. You can't look to the end of November. It's got to be the game in front of you, and there's no guarantees you get, anywhere, you gotta earn it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, last season, for sure, our motto was like we're the underdogs, like why not us yeah?
Speaker 1:we can't exactly say that this year yeah, we'll see what you guys come up with throughout the season, but, um, now we're gonna head into some rapid questions. So these are a surprise. You don't know of these yet. They're gonna come much fast, so you gotta be ready. Okay, ready. What is favorite professional soccer player?
Speaker 2:oh, um hope. Solo she doesn't play anymore, bronica favorite pre-game hype song. Before he cheats, that's our bus song Every single bus ride. That is what we play.
Speaker 5:I answered your question, I'm sorry, okay, audrey. Favorite move to use 1v1 against a defender. I like a good elastico outfit, go in and out with my right foot, type of thing.
Speaker 1:Coach favorite field to play at. Oh bacon pit all right whiz, grass or turf. Uh, turf, veronica, favorite sports memory um, I mean, if it wasn't winning that's a good one can't't really beat that Audrey favorite jersey number Ten Coach games in the rain or games in the freezing cold.
Speaker 3:Oh, they're both miserable. As a former goalie, I'll go freezing cold because rain's the worst.
Speaker 1:Audrey, assist circles. Ooh, I like goals. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'd say like from Krista, from Matt, from my dad, like you can do it, so why not?
Speaker 1:Veronica favorite pregame or postgame meal.
Speaker 4:I mean it's either pasta before the game or like after the game, like I don't know, like going out for pizza or something.
Speaker 1:All right coach. Favorite soccer team az milan all day okay, we're gonna end these rapid questions with a very tough one, so answer carefully. All right, ronaldo or messy ronaldo?
Speaker 3:not even a question, I think messy, yeah that.
Speaker 5:It's a highly debated one, I know Very highly debated. I'll stand by it.
Speaker 1:Lastly, on the Glory Days podcast, we always like to wrap up by asking our guests what do you think the purpose of high school sports is? So, coach, I'll start with you.
Speaker 3:That's a great question. High school sports provides an amazing social outlet for players to be able to kind of relieve stresses from out the day. High school is tough. High school is a lot of things that you just forget about how tough it is and it lets you kind of just take a break from it.
Speaker 2:take a break from the pressures of homework, take a break from the pressures of anything else you're dealing with and just go be a kid and have some fun and enjoyment I agree out high school sports, I think, has always created like such a great like family for me, such a great community I mean my family's the best, but it's like a home away from home for me. All the whole soccer team, like I love them all. We've like the seniors, we've all played together for like 14 years, like forever and um, every new like class that comes in, we always just like take them under our wing, we just we want to get to know them, we want to be friends with them before we're teammates with them, because I think it's really important to have that team chemistry, um, and I think that's like one of my favorite things about playing sports in high school is just having all these girls that I know have my back.
Speaker 4:It's sort of of like your like chosen family, so like in the school, like you can always have a person to go to to talk to, like if you're like going through something. And I think it's also really helpful for um, like for your future, sort of like we, like she said, we've been playing forever, so like I know like Liz and I, audrey and I will be friends for like almost forever basically. So I think it's really like important just to like have like those close friends that basically become your family within the school and then like for your like future, just like friends you've had forever.
Speaker 1:Audrey, what do you think the purpose of high school sports is?
Speaker 5:I don't know as someone who does do club sports year round. I think it just gives anyone who else does that a great kind of break from the pressure. Because club sports is known, it's just a very intense. You're there to do excellent, like it's just a very high pressure environment which we all love and thrive on. So we're used to that. We love it, but also sometimes you get too caught up in it and you do need the break of just. You have your best friends from your town, you have everyone you're with. It's just a whole different kind of new environment. Like you get to meet the freshmen. It's like great community.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much to Coach Raffala, audrey Palmer, elizabeth Glover and Veronica Smith for joining me on CIAC's Glory Days podcast. I wish you all the best of luck in this upcoming season and I hope you're able to come out with another class and state championship title.