Match Report: Staples vs. Fairfield Ludlowe [UPDATED – WITH PHOTOS]
It’s been a tough season for Fairfield Ludlowe.
The Falcons struggle to score goals. When Staples struck less than 5 minutes into today’s match at Taft Field — with Brendan Allen outleaping his defender, to head in Gabe Hellmann’s corner kick — it looked like a rout was on.
But though the Wreckers controlled the tempo, and had the run of play, the hosts staved off any more goals for the next 50-plus minutes.
That’s when Staples scored twice more. Their 3-0 victory raises their record to 9-2-0. The next contest is Senior Day: this Friday, 4 p.m. at Wakeman Field, against an uncharacteristically down Trumbull side.
The Wreckers won with their trademark combination of team speed, crisp passing, selflessness, smart positioning, confidence, and tenacity to win 50/50 balls.
Hellmann, Dylan Shackelford, Adriano Carpi and Emmett Zahler nail down the defense. Drew Hill handles the midfield with quiet yet powerful effectiveness. A rotating cast of characters — Allen, Gabe Duque, Ford Eptstein, Greyson Downes, Adrian Rodriguez, Noah Rossoni, Nico Reyna and Josh Whitaker — combine for a creative attack.
Keeper Jack D’Amore had little to do, until 3 successive shots in the final 40 seconds of the first half. The junior saved all of them, with a punch out and two diving tip-aways.
Mikey Brennan got extended minutes, and added spark and sparkle. His 58th-minute slicing, outside-of-the-foot pass found an onrushing Owen Perry. He chested it down, and finished cleanly.
The final goal began with another Hellmann corner. The keeper knocked it to the top of the box, but it came back to Duque on the left side. The quad-captain laid it across to Rossoni, who tapped it in. FINAL SCORE: Staples 3, Fairfield Ludlowe 0. FCIAC RECORD: 8-2-0. OVERALL RECORD: 9-2-0.
QUICK KICKS: The Staples boys soccer program contributed $550 to Fairfield Warde’s fundraiser on Saturday, for pediatric cancer research through LivFree. Warde led the way, raising $2,600 ….
This is the final year of coaching for veteran Fairfield Ludlowe head coach Kevin O’Hara, and assistant Wayne Schwaeber. They have been with the Falcons for 23 and 18 years, respectively ….
The junior varsity shut out Fairfield Ludlowe 2-0. Kai Massicott and Seb Elizondo scored, with assists from Seb Carter and Lucas Klein …
The freshmen handed Fairfield Ludlowe a 7-1 defeat. Max McDermott and Spencer Hollander both scored twice. Beckham Martino, Mason Holl and Atticus Lavergne also tallied.
2025 varsity team, at Fairfield Ludlowe (Photo/Ryan Allen)
Dueling huddles at Fairfield Ludlowe (Photo/Ryan Allen)
Owen Perry (center) celebrates his goal with Brendan Allen and Noah Rossoni (Photo/Ryan Allen)
