FCIAC

Girls soccer: Ridgefield tops Trumbull, 4-0, in FCIAC quarterfinals

Scoring two goals in each half, the Ridgefield High girls soccer team began the postseason with a 4-0 win over Trumbull in an FCIAC quarterfinal game Thursday evening at Tiger Hollow. Ridgefield, the third seed in the eight-team field, will now play second-seed St. Joseph in the semifinals on Monday (5 p.m.) at Wilton High … Read more

Ridgefield girls top Trumbull in FCIAC soccer quarterfinals

RIDGEFIELD — The Ridgefield High School girls soccer team has prided itself all season long on its stellar defensive play — and rightfully so, as the Tigers allowed only three goals in the regular season and posted 14 shutouts in 16 matches.

On Thursday night in the FCIAC quarterfinals against Trumbull, Ridgefield showed off its offensive firepower as well its defensive prowess.

Caitlin Slaminko tallied two goals and an assist, freshman phenom Julia Bragg added a goal and two assists and Tasha Riek scored a goal as the third-seeded Tigers defeated sixth-seeded Trumbull 4-0. Lauren Castle made four saves to preserve the shutout.

“We’re definitely happy with the win,” Slaminko said. “We played pretty well, and we finished our chances. We’re moving on now, and we have to focus on getting better and being prepared for what’s ahead.”

Click here for more

-----

Greenwich cruises to Homecoming win over Ludlowe

GREENWICH — Fairfield Ludlowe responded to Greenwich’s first touchdown of Thursday night’s football matchup with a score of its own in the opening quarter.

Yet like the Cardinals’ previous foes, the Falcons learned that keeping pace with them is a monumental task.

Effectively mixing its running and passing attack, No. 2 Greenwich lit the scoreboard for 35 first-half points and cruised to a convincing 56-7 Homecoming night victory over Ludlowe at chilly Cardinal Stadium.

The Cardinals ran their record to 6-0 with the win, which saw senior Stephen Bennett catch a pair of touchdown passes from Gavin Muir and sophomore Hunter Clark run it into the end zone twice in the first half. Senior linebacker Jack Feda intercepted two passes, one which he returned for a score for the unbeaten Cardinals.

Click here for more

-----

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.”

Click here for 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.”

Click here for more

-----

Stamford tops Trinity Catholic

STAMFORD — One side was looking to the road ahead. The other side looked back at a hard road traveled.

The Stamford High School boys soccer team closed out its regular season Tuesday by downing intracity rival Trinity Catholic High School, 6-3, at the Crusaders’ Gaglio Field.

“It was a regular season filled with ups and downs. We had some brilliant moments. But our ledger was filled with inconsistency,” Stamford High’s veteran coach Mario Caminiti said. “Closing with a victory is nice. And we got the opportunity in the second half to play a number of junior varsity kids and look ahead to next season. The JV kids displayed some nice fluidity with the ball. And their composure was very good.”

Click here for more

-----

Staples caps undefeated season by beating St. Joseph

WESTPORT — Last season, as Zoe Barnett watched and bided her time behind a three-year starter and all-state goalkeeper, she took everything in and learned as much as she can.

This fall, as a senior starter, Barnett finally got her shot.

Barnett backstopped an undefeated Staples High girls soccer regular season, giving up just five goals in 16 games and recording her 11th shutout of the season in the Wreckers’ 1-0 win over St. Joseph on Monday afternoon a Loeffler Field.

Click here for more

-----

Ridgefield holds off rival Wilton in football thriller

WILTON — The Ridgefield High School football team’s defense had its back against the wall on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter Saturday against rival Wilton. Both times — with no margin for error — the Tigers came up big in preserving a thrilling 21-6 victory.

“We’re really proud,” Ridgefield senior Kurt Monahan. “Every year for Ridgefield, the defense is always resilient, and we always have a lot of heart. We work really hard, and it shows on the field.”

Monahan made a game-saving play less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Wilton’s Kyle Phillips scored on a 3-yard run to cut Ridgefield’s lead to 7-6. Rather than kick the extra point and tie the game, the Warriors decided to go for two, but Monahan had other plans. Wilton quarterback James O’Brien faked a handoff, rolled to his left, and spotted a receiver wide open in the end zone. Monahan, however, read the play perfectly and batted down O’Brien’s pass to protect the lead.

Click here for more

-----

Summers, St. Joseph trounce Knights

TRUMBULL — It was easily the worst thing that has happened to the St. Joseph High School football team this year. When all is said and done with this 2018 season, however, that 15-point loss to Darien last month just might end up being the best thing that could have happened to the Cadets.

With quarterback David Summers throwing for 182 yards and five touchdowns Saturday, St. Joseph walloped Stamford 42-0. The rout continued a recent trend for the Cadets, since they lost their No. 1 ranking in the state by Darien.

Saturday’s win over Stamford was the Cadets’ third in a row since the loss, their third consecutive shutout and third straight time they have scored 40-plus points. St. Joseph beat Wilton 47-0, Ridgefield 42-0 and Stamford 42-0.

Click here for more

-----