Match Report: Staples vs. Ridgefield [UPDATE WITH PHOTOS]

The defending state and FCIAC champions picked up right where they left off.

Noah Rossoni’s true hat trick — 3 straight goals — paced Staples to a 7-0 beat-down of Ridgefield this afternoon, in the season opener for both squads.

Despite 7 new starters, the Wreckers looked like worthy successors to last year’s squad, The starting 11 at Tiger Hollow — 9 seniors and 2 juniors — showed team and individual speed, high soccer IQs, a range of scorers, solid defense, chemistry, balance, confidence, communication, depth and leadership.

Sure, it’s only one game. But the strong start has to please head coach Liam Witham, assistant Billy Babayo, and their legion of fans.

After an evenly played first 9 minutes, quad-captain Rossoni finished clinically off a feed from Lucas Alarcon.

The duo combined well with fellow offensive threats Greyson Downes, Wesleyan commit Adrian Rodriguez and former MLS Next player Alex Saleeb.

With Rossoni and Nico Reyna dominating midfield, and defenders Thomas Pretty, Spencer Derakhsham, Owen Green and Peter Nelson stepping up smartly to make life easy for keeper Zach Delman, the blue-and-whites took control of the match. The junior goaltender saw little action, but — in his first start since replacing quad-captain Jack D’Amore, out for the season following knee surgery — he directed his team well, with a commanding voice.

Downes assisted on Rossoni’s second strike, another calm finish, in the 23rd minute.

Witham’s first 3 subs — Dutch Schlegelmilch, Jaden Waldman and Arthur Khisyamov — came on, with no letup in pace or poise. The Tigers’ first shot of the match came with 5 minutes left in the first half.

Ridgefield’s tall keeper, Gavin McLaughlin, kept his team in the game, with good command of his box. But the floodgates began open.

Rossoni’s third goal was a 59th-minute slot from the left side to the far right.

Five minutes later, Reyna fired from close range.

Two minutes after that, Reyna’s long ball over the top found Kai Massicott. The junior cruised in, and finished cleanly.

The 72nd minute saw one of the strangest goals in Staples soccer’s 68-year history. After a harsh collision at the edge of the penalty area, both teams stopped playing. There was no whistle, however. After several seconds Ethan Katzner took matters into his own hands, powering the ball into an empty net. He looked quizzically at the referee, who raised his hand to signal goal.

Katzner played a role in the final tally, assisting Rodriguez a minute later.

One one-sided win does not make a season. But it sure gets it off to a good start.

The Wreckers’ next match is Monday. The home opener kicks off at 4 p.m., on the Wakeman turf.