The Greenwich High School boys’ soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the state in the Week 2 coaches’ poll and coach Kurt Putnam’s Cardinals certainly justified that ranking recently.
They’ll probably maintain that top ranking in the next poll after they rallied back for a thrilling 4-3 road victory on Sept. 16 against a very good Staples team which is ranked No. 8.
Greenwich, Stamford and Staples are the three FCIAC teams ranked in the top 10 of the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association Boys Soccer Coaches Class LL/L Poll which was released Sept. 15. Stamford is ranked No. 4.
Greenwich received nine of the 12 first-place votes and 115 points.
Second-ranked Xavier had 14 less points than Greenwich and received two first-place votes.
Notre Dame-West Haven is listed No. 3 and Stamford No. 4, though they both received 76 points, and Stamford was the recipient of the other first-place vote.
Farmington, East Lyme and Bethel are ranked 5-7.
The Staples Wreckers earned their No. 8 ranking with a 5-1-0 record when voting took place and they were followed in the top 10 by Wilbur Cross and No. 10 Hall.
Fairfield Warde is the only FCIAC team among the nine total in the “Others receiving votes category.
Greenwich and Stamford both had 5-0-0 records when voting took place and Staples’ 5-1-0 record included the games played through the Saturday of Sept. 13.
Greenwich’s Cardinals improved to 6-0-0 by scoring the game’s last two goals in their big comeback 4-3 victory at Staples while the host Wreckers dropped to 5-2-0.
So, Staples’ two losses have come against teams ranked among the top four in the current state poll. The Stamford Black Knights defeated Staples, 3-1, on their home field at West Beach on Sept. 10.
Three days later the Black Knights improved to 5-0-0 with their 4-0 victory at Darien. But then three days later they were knocked from the unbeaten ranks and dropped to 5-1-0 with their 2-0 loss at Danbury.
That enabled the Danbury Hatters to leapfrog over Staples and up to fourth place in the FCIAC standings including the games played on Sept. 16.
Greenwich (6-0-0) was in first place with 18 points.
Stamford dropped from previously being tied with Greenwich atop the standings and the Black Knights were tied with Ridgefield in second place as they both had 15 points and identical 5-1-0 records.
Danbury (4-1-1) was in fourth place with 13 points. Staples and Fairfield Warde were tied for fifth place with 4-2-0 records and a dozen points, and those two teams were followed by seventh-place Norwalk (3-2-1, 10 points) and eighth-place Brien McMahon (3-3-0, nine points).
Darien, New Canaan and Wilton were in a three-way tie for ninth place with seven points as they all had records of 2-3-1 through Sept. 16.
Greenwich has two more games in September against teams among the top four in the conference standings.
The Cardinals host Danbury on Sept. 24 and travel to West Beach Field to play Stamford’s host Black Knights on Sept. 29.
Danbury plays at Ridgefield on Sept. 29.
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