Match Report: Staples vs. Wilton
The Staples boys soccer team put Wednesday’s loss at Greenwich behind them — and prepared for Monday’s key match with Stamford — by downing Wilton 2-1 today, at Kristine Lilly Field.
The contest was not as close as the scoreline. The Wreckers were in command for the much of the day, and bounced back after the Warriors equalized in the second half, just 3 minutes after falling behind.
The hosts were 0-5-1 before the match, after a grueling early season schedule that included Norwalk, Greenwich, Trumbull and Danbury.
The Westporters took advantage of the wide field. Will Murray, Emmett Nivaud and Zach Gorin spread the game well. Drew Hill did his usual effective job at midfield, quietly but decisively. Still, the first half ended 0-0.
The deadlock lasted only 40 minutes, once play resumed. Josh Whitaker’s nice spin move sent Brendan Allen goalward. He found Jonny Costello, who slipped his shot underneath the keeper.
But — as happened against Darien and Greenwich — the Wreckers let their opponents back in the game, within 3 minutes of scoring. And as happened 3 days earlier against the Cards, this equalizer came after a failure to clear.
Yet this time, Staples regrouped. Nivaud, Costello and Gorin combined nicely in the box, though they could not fire a shot.
In the 53rd minute, Gorin and Whitaker assisted on Costellos second strike. This was similar to his first, calmly beating the keeper.
A third goal, by Dylan Shackelford on a rebound of a blast by Gorin, was ruled offside.
The Warriors hung on well. But with Jack D’Amore steady in goal, and solid defense by Shackelford, Alex Kuster, Jack Schwartz and Gabe Duque, the Wreckers managed the game to the end.
They have little time to look back on today, though. Stamford (5-1-1) comes to Wakeman Field on Monday (4:30 p.m.). The match is a make-up, after an earlier postponement. FINAL SCORE: Staples 2, Wilton 1. SEASON RECORD: 3-3-0.
QUICK KICKS: Coach Elisee Joseph’s junior varsity cruised to a 5-0 win over Wilton. Owen Green reports: “After the Wreckers settled into the game, they produced many threatening chances. They finally connected, as Peter Nelson and Owen Goldfarb linked up for a goal. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Nelson found Sam DiGiovanni on a through ball, for his second assist. As the second half began, Nelson was involved again. This time found the bottom right corner, off a pass from Cillian Morris. Goldfarb completed his hat trick, scoring twice in 8 minutes to seal the victory.”
