Match Report: Staples vs St. Joseph
Two goals by Gabe Duque, and solo strikes by Josh Whitaker and Zach Gillman – his first ever for the varsity — paced the Wreckers to a 4-1 win this afternoon at St. Joseph.
Though this year’s Cadets are stronger than in past years, they were no match for Staples. The visitors skill, speed, soccer smarts and depth were on display throughout the brilliant fall afternoon.
The first goal came just 2:30 after the opening whistle. Adriano Carpi struck a great long ball out of the back. Josh Whitaker chested it down, took his defender along the end line, then blasted a shot into the far corner.
Sixteen minutes later, Gabe Hellmann’s clever move sent Noah Rossoni in. His cross through the box found Gabe Duque, who doubled the lead.
At the 30-minute mark, Nico Reyna played a seeing-eye cross into the box. Duque’s sweet, left-footed one-touch shot gave the Wreckers a 3-0 edge. It was the quad-captain’s 4th goal in 2 matches.
Staples’ final tally came 2 minutes before intermission. Grayson Downes’ superb pass was finished by Zach Gillman, who cruised in and banged his shot off the inside of the far post. It was the first goal of his varsity career — and a beauty.
A second half highlight was Cillian Morris nifty pullback move.
Reserve keeper Luke Dietrich could not save a late penalty kick, but handled the rest of the second half with ease. FINAL SCORE: Staples 4, St. Joseph 1. FCIAC RECORD: 11-2-0. OVERALL RECORD: 12-2-0.
QUICK KICKS: It took nearly 40 minutes for the Cadets to take their first shot. Keeper Jack D’Amore handled it easily …
There were 2 odd stoppages of play, after a referee heard derogatory remarks about the officiating from a St. Joseph fan. The ref refused to continue until the offender was removed …
Staples is now 2nd in the FCIAC standings, behind Greenwich. The Wreckers’ final 2 regular season games are Monday at Westhill, and Thursday home versus Ridgefield. Both kick off at 4 p.m. …
St. Joseph does not field a junior varsity or freshman team.
