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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Ridgefield girls soccer team begins state title defense with 4-0 win

There was no letdown. Four days after winning its third conference championship in four years, the Ridgefield High girls soccer team began defense of its Class LL state title with a 4-0 victory over Manchester in a first-round game Monday at Tiger Hollow. Ridgefield, the seventh seed, will now host 10th-seed South Windsor in a … Read more

Darien runs down Hall in Class LL volleyball tournament

Darien senior co-captain Cristina Escajadillo gets set to serve up a winner. Dave Stewart photo The Darien volleyball team had a bit of a wake-up call with a first-set loss to the Hall Warriors in the opening round of the Class LL playoffs. In the end, however, the Blue Wave rolled on. Darien responded to … Read more

New Canaan girls soccer routs Conard in Class LL first round

New Canaan’s Kaleigh Harden dribbles the ball between Conard’s Isabela Glynn (2) and Lauren Massaro during the Rams’ 5-0 win in the Class LL playoffs Monday at Dunning Field. — Dave Stewart photo The New Canaan girls soccer team hasn’t had a had a problem with remaining positive this fall. Less than 24 hours after … Read more

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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Girls soccer: Dejana’s goals lift Wilton to 2-1 state tourney win

Senior Ally Dejana scored both goals as the Wilton High girls soccer team rallied from an early deficit to beat Fairfield Ludlowe, 2-1, in the opening round of the Class LL state tournament Monday in Wilton. The 1th-seeded Warriors (11-4-3) will now play sixth-seed St. Joseph in a second-round game on Wednesday at 4 p.m. … Read more