Lightning Halts Opening Match
Avery Mueller’s 2 goals — the first on a 17th-minute penalty kick, the second a minute later tucked into the far corner — gave Staples a solid 2-0 lead over Ridgefield at Wakeman Field, in today’s FCIAC opener for both sides.
But the result won’t stand. The referees suspended play with 17 minutes left in the first half, after a bolt of lightning. State rules mandate a 30-minute wait before play resumes.
A few subsequent lightning strikes pushed resumption of play back. But at 5:17 p.m., the lead official determined that even if the teams returned to the field from Bedford Middle School, there would not be enough time to warm up and complete the match, due to the dark clouds.
Minutes after the decision was made, the sky brightened. But FCIAC rules mandate that any game halted before halftime does not count. It must be replayed at a later date, from the beginning. A decision will be made soon on a makeup date.
It was a disappointing end to a game that started well. The blue-and-whites — a year older than last season’s very young squad — played the way coach Russell Oost-Lievense wants them to: quickly, to feet, always probing for pockets.
Junior Zach Gorin paired well with Mueller, the co-captain who drew the first PK foul after driving into the box. His second strike came after an alert steal and feed by junior Emmett Nivaud.
The official opening match now comes Tuesday, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at New Canaan’s Dunning Field.
QUICK KICKS: Staples’ starting lineup included 5 seniors and 6 juniors: keeper Nick Sikorski, and Gorin, Mueller, Nivaud, Santi Alfageme, Zach Beebe, Jonny Costello, Luca Escalarte, Cormac Mulvey, Jack Schwartz and Adam Syah ….
The junior varsity was down 4-0 at Loeffler Field, when their match with Ridgefield was stopped by lightning. They too did not resume …
The freshmen traveled to Ridgefield, but lightning and heavy rain prevented that match from even beginning …
Staples boys soccer’s annual car wash is tomorrow (Saturday, September 9), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church ….
Dan Alix ’01 has risen high since his Staples soccer days. Click here for a story on his current job: test pilot for Virgin Galactic.
The freshman team hung out in the Ridgefield locker room during rain. They spent part of the time watching a livestream of the varsity match.
