2023-2027

2023: #1 in the State

Pre-season

A very young 2022 squad is a year older. Hopes are high.

Pre-season begins with a 1-0 win at Greens Farms Academy (Gabriel Duque, from Eli Rosenkranz).

A crazy, back-and-forth 3-3 draw at Fairfield Prep follows. Pre-season ends with the Wethersfield jamboree: 1-1 with Tolland (Brendan Allen), 0-0 against Kingswood-Oxford, and – the first time the projected starters take the field – a 1-0 loss to the hosts.

Regular season

Co-captain Avery Mueller’s 2 goals – a 17^th minute penalty kick, and a tuck into the far corner a minute later – give Staples a comfortable 2-0 led over Ridgefield, at Wakeman.

But the result won’t stand. The referees suspend play with 17 minutes left in the first half after lightning. The mandatory 30-minute wait period begins after each new bolt. At 5:17 p.m., the lead official determines there will not be enough time for the teams to return, warm back up and complete the match. It must be replayed, at a later date.

New Canaan becomes the next “opening match.” Staples again scores twice. Junior left back Cormac Mulvey finds Lucas Carpi blazing down the wing; he rifles a no-nonsense shot. Three minutes later co-captain Santi Alfageme – a back who comes forward for free kicks – bangs in Mueller’s looping free kick.

Visiting Brien McMahon controls much of the first half. But the Wreckers are patient, and stick to their game plan. Chase Watkins laces a corner kick across the goalmouth. Junior Zach Gorin waits patiently, then first-times it into the far netting. Keeper Nick Sikorski smothers a long, curving shot with 2 minutes to go, to ice the 1-0 win.

The blue-and-whites break open a close match against Norwalk, then stick the dagger in. They break the Bears’ high press in the 33^rd minute. Luca Escalarte steals a ball, and hits Mueller. He freezes the keeper, and scores.

Second-half action includes a tap-in by Gorin, from classmate Elliot Galin, and a strike with just 16 seconds left by Mueller, after juking 2 defenders.

Wakeman Field is the site for the first true test of the season: 3-0-0 Staples vs. 3-0-1 Stamford. The Knights were scheduled to host, but are forced to play all their games on the road due to turf issues at home. The Wreckers wear visitors’ whites.

The squads are mirror images of each other. Both favor a short, quick-passing possession game. Both have individual and team speed, creative playmakers and sure-handed keepers. Both are tested several times.

Late in the first half, junior Zach Beebe heads in Watkins’ in-swinging corner kick. Stamford draws level 13 minutes after intermission, on a close-range shot. It’s the first goal conceded by the Westporters all year – 316 minutes (counting Ridgefield).

A year ago, Staples would have been flustered. This time, they go right back to work. So does Stamford, and the down-to-the-wire match ends fairly, a 1-1 draw.

Ridgefield returns to Wakeman for the second time (after lightning forced the season opener to be replayed. Staples scores just 45 seconds after kickoff. Gorin drives a quick corner kick into the box. Mueller outleaps a taller defender, and heads home with authority.

But the quick tally is illusory. The Tigers – who tied Stamford 0-0 – have many opportunities to draw level. Only airtight defense (including crunching tackles by Alfageme and Jack Schwartz) and Sikorski’s strong goalkeeping, keep the 1-0 scoreline. Finally, with 1:12 left, Staples gets an insurance goal against the run of play, as Galin assists fellow junior Emmett Nivaud.

The Wreckers pass a stern test against undefeated, #7 in the nation, defending state champion Greenwich with flying colors, at home. And they pass it powerfully.

In the 4^th minute Mueller picks up a loose ball. He draws the keeper out, then finished clinically. The second goal comes 2 minutes after halftime. Mueller feeds Nivaud, for a sliding volley to the back post.

Looking to finish their archrivals off, the hosts attack relentlessly, and with speed. Defenders Alfageme, Schwartz, Beebe and Mulvey show poise, positioning and tenacity, limiting the Cards to a few medium-range shot. As usual, Adam Syah is a quiet, calming presence at defensive midfield.

The 2-0 victory sends a message to the rest of the league. Staples – despite starting only 4 seasons — is real. But for the rest of the season, they’ll have a target on their backs.

Less than 48 hours later, on the slick Wakeman surface, playing their third match in 5 days (at the unfamiliar hour of 10:30 a.m.), the Westporters take on Wilton. Carpi scores in the first 10 minutes, and adds another 1 minute into the second half.

That opens the floodgates. Gorin and Mueller make it 4-0. Reserves Watkins, Archie Lynch, James Corridon and Aaron Varsov keep up the pressure. Aldo Lopez preserves the clean sheet in goal, with 2 good saves.

A disappointing 1-1 draw at 2-3-2 Darien follows. The guests draw first blood, when Sikorski outlets to Gorin,, who plays forward to the high-scoring Mueller. But just 3 minutes before intermission the Blue Wave equalize. It is only the second goal scored on Staples in 8 matches.

In the 60^th minute, Sikorski is shown a red card when he comes out of his box to save in a crowd. Lopez replaces him, but the blue-and-whites play the final 20 minutes a man down.

The red-carded keeper sits the next match, at Bridgeport Central. Mueller is out too, after receiving his third yellow card of the season at Darien. Other players are nursing injuries.

But Lopez stands tall in goal, and other players pace the attack. Head coach Russell Oost-Lievense shows confidence in his entire roster, giving plenty of time to fill-in starters (Corridon, Alex Kuster, Dylan Shackelford) and reserves (like 2^nd-half keeper Christian Rinaldi).

Goals come from Carpi (from Gorin), Nivaud, Sam Rossoni (2, from Schwartz and Shackelford), and Rosenkranz (from Allen). Staples’ 5^th match in 9 days is a 5-0 rout.

The next contest – a mere 48 hours later – promises to be quite different. 7-0-2, FCIAC Western Division-leading Staples travels to 5-1-3, East leader Fairfield Warde.

Staples struggles early. But in the 27^th minute Mueller drives down the left, bedeviling 3 defenders. He cuts in and squares a ball that Nivaud calmly slots in.

The contest grows scrappy. The Mustangs are shown several yellow cards – and their coach earns a red, for strong dissent.

Alfageme sends a free kick to Gorin’s feet. He finds Mueller blitzing forward. A simple touch rounds the oncoming keeper; one more deft touch, and its 2-0. Mueller scores again, 3 minutes from time. It’s a fitting end to a high-octane night.

The next match – against 3-5-2, but “underperforming” Fairfield Ludlowe – does not go as well. The Falcons score twice in the first half, then disrupt their guests’ rhythm all the way through to a 2-0 upset win.

The Wreckers follow that disappointing result with a 6-0 victory over non-league, late-arriving Harding. First-half goals come from Rossoni (2, from Mueller and Gorin), Watkins (also from Mueller), and Grey Epstein (from Watkins). Jonny Costello’s 2^nd-half finish rounds out the scoring.

Despite a steady Wakeman rain, Staples-Trumbull – pitting the #1 and #3 teams in both the FCIAC and state rankings – lives up to its marquee billing.

It is a crackling contest, with both sides’ talent, smarts, speed and tenacity on display. The Eagles boast high-scoring Owen Bull. The Wreckers bottle him up.

But the visitors do the same for Staples’ own prolific attacker, Mueller. He sees little of the ball.

Fortunately, his teammates pick up the slack.

The slick surface does not prevent skillful play. Both teams move the ball well, find feet, probe for seams, play backward confidently in order to go forward soon.

In the 62^nd minute, Gorin takes a short corner to Galin. He unleashes a great cross into the center of the box. Alfageme – the tall center back co-captain, who wears the prestigious #15 ini honor of Preston Hirten – outleaps a gaggle of Eagles. He slams a header home, from short range.

The Wreckers do not sit back. Pressing forward, Mulvey’s rip is saved. Beeby’s header off a corner flies high by inches.

Sikorski’s best save of the day comes with 4 minutes to play. He gives up a rebound, but the follow-up shot sails over the crossbar.

It’s a huge victory, as the quarter of the season begins. And it’s earned with both smarts and skill.

Danbury brings just 16 players to Wakeman. But the Hatters make up for low numbers with tenacity, crisp passing and tight defense. They draw 0-0. Danbury – with its 5^th tie of the year – is used to that result. The Wreckers are not.

A victory at home against Staples will make winless St. Joseph’s (0-10-2) season.

At halftime, they think they can do it. After failing to cross midfield for the first 6 minutes, then falling behind 2-0 in the first 37 minutes (on goals by Allen and Mueller), the Cadets halve the lead on a breakaway. Then – moments before the half – they equalize, on a penalty kick.

A displeased Oost-Lievense lets his players figure things out at halftime. The tactic works. Mueller scores from close range, then scores again off Nivaud’s corner kick. His 4^th tally, on a solo effort, equalizes Staples’ single-game record, shared by many players.

Both squads have something to shoot for, in the regular season finale. The Westporters need a win or tie to have a shot at winning the Ralph King Cup as the top team in the FCIAC, and a win to keep their #1 seed in the state LL tournament.

The host Vikings have even more at stake. They’re 5-5-4, tied for 9^th  in the league.  They need a victory – to have hopes for a berth in the 8-team FCIAC tourney.

As added motivation, it is Westhill’s Senior Day.

The fired-up Vikes do not let Staples past midfield for the first 4 minutes. Then a series of mistakes and bobbles by both teams – and Westhil’s tendency to play the ball in the air – lead to choppy, uneven play.

In the 18^th minute Allen – inserted just a minute earlier – finds Nivaud’s corner kick in a goalmouth scramble, and smashed a shot into the top corner.

Westhill draws level less than 2 minutes later, after a crunching tackle Staples responds. Mulvey’s long throw is headed in by Nivaud. The junior gets his second straight goal, pouncing on Mueller’s free kick from close range. Mueller makes it 4-1 4 minutes before the half.

But the Vikings come out firing after the break. They get back in the game just 3 minutes in. Their pressure flusters Staples. Then, with10 minutes to go, a long shot catches the Wreckers flat. Suddenly it’s 4-3.

Then things get really wild. Lopez saves a corner kick well. Westhill heads another corner just wide. They launch another long shot. A free kick misses by inches.

Both teams bang to the end. But the Wreckers prevail. They have their win. They take a deep breath. And — #1 in the league – they prepare for the FCIAC tournament.

FCIAC Tournament

Two years ago, a controversial penalty kick for Fairfield Warde just 56 seconds before halftime changed the FCIAC quarterfinal dramatically. The teams meet again – again at Wakeman Field – but this time the Wreckers go up 1-0, on a sniping Mueller goal off along ball from Schwartz. Warde earns – again – a first-half PK, and draws level.

But the final score is quite different. With 2 goals and an assist from Mueller, plus stout defense and smart midfield play – the #1-ranked Wreckers pull away, for a 4-1 win over the 8^th seed.

The outcome is not foreordained. They’re missing Alfageme – their rock-solid center back, who was shown his 3^rd yellow in the previous game – but Mulvey, Schwartz, Beebe, Hellman and Syah provide cover.

Not one starter on this young squad had ever played in an FCIAC tournament. A large crowd ringing Wakeman on an unseasonably warm late October day offers great encouragement.

The second half shows Staples imposing their will on the match. The go-ahead goal comes when Nivaud’s corner kick is headed on to Mulvey, who finishes powerfully. Mueller then picked up a ball in stride from Costella. His final goal comes 7 seconds from time – a spectacular scissor-kick volley, off a slicing ball from Escalarte.

The semifinal offers a chance to avenge one of the few blemishes this season: the 1-1 draw with Stamford. The Knights reached the final with a PK win over #5 Ludlowe.

For much of the first half, and part of the second, the blue-and-whites are in command. In the 27^th minute, Rossoni’s blast is parried away by Stamford’s excellent keeper, Christian Vitti. Gorin takes the ensuing corner. Mueller leaps high for a header. Vitti grabs the ball – but only after it was inches over the line.

The lead galvanizes Staples. They win many 50-50 balls with hard, well-timed tackles. They play quickly and crisply, possessing smartly while finding seams and feet.

But Stamford claws their way back into contention. They squander a close-in free kick, shoot wide by inches, miss a goalmouth scramble, fail to shoot in a scrum.

With 7:26 remaining, their persistence pays off. A long free kick is dropped, then banged in from close range.

The Knights push forward, in an increasingly physical match. Sikorski saves nicely. Vitti does the ame, on Rossoni.

Suddenly, the Knights play a long ball out of the back. Noel Vargas caps a 40-yard run through 2 split players with an authoritative finish. Just 1:21 is left on the clock.

Staples refuses to die. Rossoni laces a great cross through the box. However, no one is there.

The Wreckers get the ball back, and surge forward ne last time. With 5 seconds to go, Mueller heads a dead-on shot.

Against any other keeper, it would be one of the most dramatic goals in Staples history. But Vitti flies parallel to the ground, punching it away for his best save of the night.

The loss – only the second of the season – is bitter. They do the only thing they can: prepare for the state tournament.

State Tournament

Ridgefield makes their third visit to Wakeman Field this year. The first 2 times, Staples scored 2 goals each, and allowed none. (The canceled-by-lightning match, and the subsequent replay.)

But the visitors bring their “A” game – and “D” (as in “determined”) – game too. Fresh off a 4-0 drubbing of Norwalk, in a playdown to qualify as the 32^nd (and final) team in the LL state tournament, they are not intimidated by the #1-seeded Stapleites.

The Wreckers miss Mueller in the first half. The co-captain and leading scorer has a hip injury. Rossoni and Costello start up top.

But the Tigers go up 1-0 in the 15^th minute, on a long free kick that bounces in the penalty box before being headed down and in. Oost-Lievense calls on his leading scorer, to start the second half.

His return gives the hosts – who have not played with their usual possession and precison-passing game – a spark.

Six minutes after play resumes (and 1 minute after Sikorski saves a rocket), Galin lofts a free kick to the far corner. Mulvey flies in, and power-heads the equalizer.

Now playing their trademark game, Staples has chances. Rossoni and Mueller shoot high. The match grows physical, but not chippy.

In the 67^th minute Sikorski extends fully, saving superbly on a blast. The final minutes of regulation time are end-to-end, chaotic, and scoreless.’

Overtime – 2 10-minutes periods, to completion – is Staples’ first since the 2019 quarterfinal (a 5-4 penalty kick loss at Trumbull).

Ridgefield keeper Ben Voellmicke makes a stellar 82^nd-minute save, then halts two more Mueller shots.

Two minutes into the second OT, a bouncing ball splits the defense. The Tigers tally opportunistically.

Down 2-1, with 8 minutes remaining, the Wreckers fight back. A corner kick is saved off the line. Ridgefield’s backs bang balls forward. Staples attacks heartily, earning 2 late corner kicks.

But the clock winds down. The Tigers manage the game to the end.

It’s a heartbreaking end to a stellar season.

The only consolation: more than half the starters return in 2024.

Quick Kicks

The junior varsity goes 10-1-1. Coach Chris O’Dell returns. His freshmen – “the greatest show on turf” – are undefeated, at 12-0-0.

RECORD: 13-3-3

COACH: Russell Oost-Lievense

CO-CAPTAINS: Santi Alfageme, Avery Mueller