St. Joseph holds off McMahon to advance

TRUMBULL — Barely holding off an upset-minded Brien McMahon team for most of the first half, St. Joseph needed a momentum swing in a big way.

That turn came 34 minutes into the first, as Jessica Mazo connected with Maddie Fried on a textbook two-on-one chance to break the scoreless tie.

The second-ranked Cadets would go on to defeat No. 7 McMahon 2-0 at home in the FCIAC quarterfinals Thursday.

“For 20 minutes in the first half I really thought they were playing better than us,” said Cadets coach Jack Nogueira, whose team will play the winner of No. 6 Trumbull and No. 3 Ridgefield in the semis on Monday. “Once we scored the first goal I thought we weren’t as nervous and started playing a little bit better. Today we finished our opportunities. They had a couple opportunities they could’ve finished that they didn’t, we found a way to win a game that was very tough for us.”

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The FCIAC girls soccer playoffs by the numbers

The FCIAC girls soccer tournament kicks off this afternoon with four quarterfinal games at on tap for eight teams. Here’s a look at some stats on the eight playoff teams, as well as how they fared this season against their quarterfinal opponents. • To see an archive of the FCIAC’s champions and runners-up, click here•  FCIAC … Read more

Westhill volleyball sweeps Ridgefield

STAMFORD — Taking care of business and reaping the rewards.

The Westhill High School girls volleyball team continued their magical 2018 season Wednesday night as the Vikings swept Ridgefield High, 25-20, 25-11, 25-22 before a thrilled home crowd at the J. Walter Kennedy Athletic Center.

The victory, Westhill’s third straight and seventh in its last eight matches, left the Vikings at 17-2 overall.

“The girls are playing together. They are communicating well on the court,” said Westhill coach Marianna Linnehan. “They are playing aggressive when it’s called for. And making the smart play when it’s called for.”

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