Match Report: Staples vs. Wilton
It could have been a deceptively dangerous day.
The Staples soccer team hosted Wilton this morning.
The Wakeman turf was slick, from rain. The Wreckers were coming off a big 2-0 win over Greenwich less than 48 hours earlier, and could have had an emotional letdown. With a 5-0-1 record, they might have looked past the struggling (2-4-1) Warriors. It was the Westporters’ third match in 5 days, at the unfamiliar hour of 10:30.
But they did not.
Lucas Carpi scored in the opening 10 minutes, and added another 1 minute into the second half. That fueled a strong second half. Zach Gorin and Avery Mueller added goals, for an important 4-0 victory.
The first tally began with Elliot Galin. His corner kick to Mueller at the back post was redirected to Carpi, near the goal line. The tall attacker headed in smartly.
The guests played out of the back well. But defenders Santi Alfageme, Jack Schwartz, Adam Syah and Zach Beebe kept them far from goal. Keeper Nick Sikorski was not truly tested, though he faced a few balls that skipped quickly on the wet surface.
Yet Staples had only a 1-goal edge at halftime.
The second strike — from Zach Gorin to Emmett Nivaud on the left side; he drove the goal line, then laid off to Carpi — opened the game up. And opened the floodgates.
Ten minutes later Gorin picked up a loose ball, and finished crisply.
Mueller applied the coup de grace in the 67th minute, after corralling his own loose ball.
With 10 minutes left, coach Russell Oost-Lievense sent in his reserves — some of whom would start on most FCIAC squads. The starters cheered lustily from the sideline, as Chase Watkins, Archie Lynch, James Corridon, Aaron Varsov and others kept up the pressure. Alex Kuster contributed a key tackle in back, while keeper Aldo Lopez preserved the clean sheet with a punch save, and another on the rebound.
It could have been a dangerous day. Instead, it was another solid Wrecker win.
But there is no letup. Staples plays again in 2 days. They travel to Darien on Monday. Kickoff is 4 p.m. FINAL SCORE: Staples 4, Wilton 0. SEASON RECORD: 6-0-1.
QUICK KICKS: Today’s game was originally scheduled for noon. It was moved earlier to ensure coverage by trainer Cory Iamonico, before the Wrecker football game this afternoon.
Lucas Carpi heads in the first goal against Wilton.
Aldo Lopez punches out of danger.
Elliot Galin, in the rain. (Photos/Mark Sikorski)
