Match Report: Staples vs. Danbury
Four days of rain left Loeffler Field soaked this morning. The forecast was for a cloudy afternoon. But to save the grass for later in the season, the Wreckers moved today’s encounter with Danbury to the Wakeman turf.
At 2:30 — 90 minutes before kickoff — the skies opened again. The rain ended just before 4, but the field remained damp. The miserable weather kept the crowd to a minimum. Perhaps many fans watched the livestream instead on FCIAC.net.
The match would have been very slow on grass. This one zipped along, with Staples controlling much of the early action.
Just 11 minutes in, sophomore defender Surya Balaji crossed from the right side to junior Sam Liles. He found Vaughan Sealey, who settled and laid off for Matthew Tanzer. The midfielder delivered a perfect shot into the right corner, for a quick lead.
Seven minutes later, a failure to clear defensively allowed the Hatters to draw level, on Alexander Pane’s blast.
The hosts nearly went ahead in the 28th minutes, but the keeper made a great save on Austin Sholes’ excellent shot.
A nifty combination between Sealey and Azam Plummer almost worked. The save of the day then came on Liles’ rocket, after strong pressure from Lefty Penderakis forced the play.
The 2nd half was a different story. The Hatters took the match to the Wreckers, who diverted from their game plan, held the ball longer than they had been, and complicated matters. Staples’ best effort came on a superb save of Pendarakis’ shot, after a nifty move by Patricio Perez Elorza.
Danbury thought they had the equalizer with 15 minutes to go, but the free kick goal was offside. FINAL SCORE: Staples 1, Danbury 1. SEASON RECORD: 1-0-1.
QUICK KICKS: The livestream reached at least one viewer in Africa. Mark Noonan ’83 — CEO of the Hearts of Oak club in Accra, Ghana — enjoyed the match from thousands of miles away….
For the 3rd straight time, the reserves match was postponed. Trinity Catholic — the varsity’s Friday opponent (away) — does not have a 2nd team. So coach Russell Oost-Lievense’s season opener is Monday, at Wilton….
Coach Chris O’Dell’s freshmen started the year with a 7-0 win at Danbury. Goals came from Matthew Jordan, Jackson Hochhauser, Murilo Moreno, Jaden Mueller, John Foster, Chase Hynes and Timothy Liakh scored. Ryan Thomas, Josh McCall and Bruno Guiduli were strong defensively; Aidan Mermagen played with passion up top, and Jacob Greenberger was strong in goal.
Patricio Perez Elorza bodies in against Danbury. (Photo/Armelle Daniels)
Josh DeDomenico gets inside. (Photo/Armelle Daniels)
