FCIAC

Darien’s comeback tops Newtown volleyball in Class LL

NEWTOWN—The Darien High School girls volleyball team had taken their season to the brink.

Here in the second round of the Class LL Tournament, the Blue Wave was in Game 4 staring at five match points for No. 5 seed and host Newtown. The Nighthawks had already beaten Darien twice in the regular season.

But the word surrender isn’t in the Darien volleyball lexicon.

The Blue Wave came back to forge a 24-24 deadlock and eventually take Game 4 by 29-27.

Finally given a chance to exhale, Darien took Game 5 to cap an amazing 25-21, 25-27, 21-25, 29-27, 15-11 road triumph Thursday night.

“It was a nervewracking spot down 24-19. But we’ve learned to let our troubles go and rise to the occasion,” said Darien senior tri-captain Lindsay Bennett.

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Lesko, No. 12 Trumbull knock off No. 4 Shelton, advance to Class LL quarterfinals

SHELTON — The depth of the FCIAC in girls soccer was on full display Wednesday in the Class LL state tournament second round. The state’s top conference in the sport filled five of the eight spots in the quarterfinals. That includes No. 12 seed Trumbull, which knocked out No. 4 Shelton 3-1 Wednesday night at … Read more

Greenwich advances in Class LL with win over Shelton

GREENWICH—Greenwich senior Shoki Araki never forgot the mistake he made in the 2016 Class LL quarterfinals which he felt cost his team the game against Shelton.

Araki can now focus on another memory against Shelton in the state tournament.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Araki pounced on a ball misplayed by the Shelton keeper, scoring the first goal of the game.

The Cardinals would tack on another goal late as No. 16 Greenwich defeated No. 17 Shelton in the opening round of the CIAC Class LL boys soccer tournament Wednesday at Cardinal Stadium.

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Trumbull sinks Hamden on penalty kicks in Class LL first round

TRUMBULL—The Trumbull boys soccer team likes doing things the hard way. The Eagles posted quarterfinal and semifinal wins on penalty kicks on their way to the 2018 FCIAC Championship. And on Tuesday night in the rain, 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime weren’t enough for No. 9 seed Trumbull to vanquish a … Read more

Ludlowe winning as it rebuilds, faces New Canaan in key clash in state playoff race

To say Ludlowe football was at a low point in 2016 is kind of underselling it.

The team went 0-10 , playing in front of mostly empty bleachers with a roster that resembled that of a Class S school rather than the LL school Ludlowe is.

In fact, when Mitchell Ross took over as coach in 2017, he inherited a roster of 22 players.

Total.

He was able to add a few players through in-school recruitment and the team won a game in his first season though they still finished as the last-place team in Class LL at 1-9.

This preseason, the roster is topping out at close to 100 players.

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Staples girls soccer tops Warde in Class LL opener

WESTPORT — A small part of it was redemption. But more importantly, it was another chance to chase greatness.

The Staples High girls soccer team took its first step forward in the Class LL tournament Monday by nipping a stubborn Warde squad 2-1 in first-round action at Wakeman Field.

No. 5 seed Staples (14-1-3 overall) had been upset 2-0 in double overtime by No. 8 seed Darien in the recent FCIAC playoff quarterfinals.

“Our girls were disappointed after the Darien game, our first loss in 17 games,” Staples coach Barry Beattie said. “The girls learned a lesson the hardest way possible. Darien deserved that win. We had to put the enjoyment back into playing soccer. They had to put the smiles back on their faces.”

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Wilton overcomes early deficit to beat Ludlowe

WILTON — Just four and a half minutes into its state tournament opener, the Wilton girls soccer team found itself trailing.

Fairfield Ludlowe found the back of the net as the 22nd-seeded Falcons were looking to upset the 11th-seeded Warriors on their home field.

“I think I was surprised and I didn’t expect it,” Wilton standout Ally Dejana said of the early deficit. “We got off to a bit of a slow start but we really picked it up.”

Dejana, however, scored the next two goals, helping carry Wilton to a 2-1 victory over FCIAC foe Fairfield Ludlowe in a CIAC Class LL state tournament first-round game in a steady rain on Monday afternoon at Lilly Field.

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St. Joseph shuts out Westhill

TRUMBULL — An overtime loss to Ridgefield last week in the FCIAC semifinals left the St. Joseph girls soccer team with seven days to practice — and stew over that defeat — before the Class LL tournament commenced.

On Monday afternoon, St. Joseph took out that frustration on Westhill in the Class LL first round.

The Cadets dominated in all facets, scoring six times in the first half en route to a 6-0 victory on a chilly, wet afternoon. Sixth-seeded St. Joseph moves on to host No. 11 Wilton — a 2-1 winner over No. 22 Fairfield Ludlowe — in the second round on Wednesday.

“I had a sense we would come out and play well, only because how we practiced after the Ridgefield game,” St. Joseph coach Jack Nogueira said. “We were a little hungrier. I didn’t think it would be 6-0, but I thought we would play very, very well.”

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