WOLCOTT - The Wolcott High boys soccer team began Wednesday afternoon's Naugatuck Valley League home game against Watertown by charging at the opposition on the opening kickoff.
Senior captain Tyson Brenes went flying into the opposing zone, followed by fellow senior captains Damien Georges and Connor Silva. The pressure was on, and it came in wave after wave from the Eagles against the Warriors.
Wolcott scored just 1:09 into the game and piled on from there in a 6-2 victory. The Eagles improved to 6-0-2 on the season and have several days off before their next game, next Monday at Canton. Watertown fell to 4-4-1.
"We have a saying," Eagles coach Bryan Plona said. "We're small but dynamite. We are a very small team if you look at the height of our team. We're pretty small guys, but we're pretty quick, too."
Brenes is 5-foot-2, Georges is 5-4 and Silva is 5-8. Heights of other starters range from around 5-7 to 5-9, with the exception of junior goalkeeper Hunter Dill, who at 6-4 towers over most on the field.
"I knew we would be solid," Plona said about his team, which started seven seniors, two juniors and two sophomores against Watertown. "They work really hard, so I'm proud of them. We've got a good team. Our top 11 are pretty solid."
Brenes, one of GametimeCT's 25 players to watch this fall, had a hat trick and two assists, Silva added two goals and two assists, and Georges tallied a goal and two assists. Brenes (14 goals, 5 assists) has blown past the Wolcott boys soccer program record and now has 69 for his career.
Brenes, Georges (7 goals, 5 assists) and Silva (6 goals, 7 assists) are dynamic on and off the ball.
In the middle for Wolcott, there's senior Thomas Dias. In the back, there's sophomore Ethan Brenes.
"Thomas Dias in the midfield is just an absolute workhorse, and Ethan (Brenes), our center back, is one of the fastest players in the league, so it's tough to get past those two," Plona said.
Tyson Brenes played on the 2023 NVL championship team, scoring on his attempt during penalty shots against Naugatuck in the tournament final. Many of the team's seniors were part of the 2024 Wolcott team that was the No. 1 seed in the Class M state tournament. That team reached the quarterfinals before losing 2-1 in overtime to No. 24 Weston, which went on to finish as the state runner-up.
The 2024 and 2025 versions of the Eagles both made the NVL semifinals, but the 2025 team was a case of what might have been.
"We need to stay healthy. That's the key," Plona said about the 2025 postseason. "We got hurt at the end of the year last year, four starters out in the NVL tournament, four starters out in the state tournament. We need to stay healthy."
Wolcott, the No. 6 seed in the 2025 Class M state tournament, was upset by No. 27 Waterford 2-1 in the first round. While Plona was being interviewed, his senior son Nate chimed in: "Don't even mention Waterford."
Wolcott is senior-laden, and it's a motivated squad. The only "blemishes" so far this season were two ties, 1-1 on the road against St. Paul and 2-2 at home against Naugatuck. The Eagles have responded to the most recent tie with four straight wins.
"We just want to keep playing well. We obviously have states on our mind, too. We think we can compete," Plona said.
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