Match Report: Staples vs. Trumbull
Staples scored twice at Trumbull today.
The Eagles were shut out.
So the Wreckers won 2-0, right?
Well, yes.
But it took a call to FCIAC commissioner Dave Schultz to confirm that the “abandoned match” — the term the officials used when they left the field and headed for their cars, after a semi-bench clearing brawl with 14 minutes remaining — to clarify that the victory stands.
The score of an abandoned game — for this reason (never before seen in Staples’ 68-year history), lightning, or any other one — counts, so long as one 40-minute half has been played.
The match promised to be close. Both squads were undefeated. Trumbull had surrendered 1 goal. The Wreckers were unscored upon.
The Eagles were clearly Staples’ toughest foe so far, in what is now the first quarter of the regular season. They have team and individual speed, defend tenaciously, and a strong winning tradition. They’ve got solid team chemistry, and use the width of the field well.
In other words, they are in many ways like the Wreckers.
Junior Sebi Carter replaced Greyson Downes — who was taking an ACT test — in the starting lineup. He showed well, linking with Adrian Rodriguez, Nico Reyna and Noah Rossoni on the attack.
It took Trumbull just 30 seconds to slip through. The shot was centimeters wide.
But 7 minutes later, the visitors were more accurate. Reyna sent Rodriguez through. The Wesleyan University commit finished with poise.
Midway through the half, defender Peter Nelson broke up a dangerous threat. A minute later, keeper Zach Delman made a tough save in traffic. Two minutes after, he saved again, on his line. It was the most action the goalie has seen all year.
In the 32nd minute, Rodriguez was stuffed by the keeper. A minute after, Rossoni was also stopped.
Before the first half ended, the officials had showed 3 yellow cards: 1 to Trumbull, 2 to Staples. Worrisome to both coaches — the Wreckers’ Liam Witham, and his counterpart Sil Vitiello — was that the referees seemed not always in control. They were out of position, made late or contradictory calls, and frequent delays interrupted the flow of the match. At one point they halted the game for several minutes, asking Trumbull administrators to move the crowd back from the fence.
The second half began with center back Thomas Pretty decisively stopping an attack. At the other end, Alex Saleeb’s attempt flew wide.
In the 50th minute, Gus Reyna initiated a counterattack. Dutch Schlegelmilch, moving forward well, tried to shoot. Instead he found Rodriguez, who calmly slotted the ball low into the corner, for his second strike of the day.
Trumbull was fighting back — and that’s when the fight broke out.
An Eagle player went down. Two Wreckers stood over him. A few shoves were traded. Players on the field, and from the bench — some, but not all — rushed over. Cooler heads tried to remove teammates from the action.
Thirty seconds later, it was over.
But instead of assessing the situation, issuing yellow and/or red cards, the referees walked away.
Literally.
“Abandoned match,” they told the scorer’s table. And — without a word to either coach or any captain — they strolled across the field.
With no clear outcome — that came later, from the league commissioner — the 2 teams milled about. Players who knew each other from club soccer chatted and hugged.
It was not “the beautiful game”‘s most beautiful game. But it was the 4th victory in as many tries for Staples.
Next up: Danbury on Wednesday. Kickoff is 6 p.m., at the Hatters’ field. FINAL SCORE: Staples 2, Trumbull 0. SEASON RECORD: 4-0-0.
QUICK KICKS: The freshmen lost 2-0 to Trumbull ….
Trumbull honored their 2006, 2011 and 2016 FCIAC champion teams at halftime.
