NEW CANAAN, Conn. - There’s an aura surrounding the Darien High School girls lacrosse program which can be pretty overwhelming for anyone looking to take on the Blue Wave.
It’s an aura which has grown out of a tradition of success, both on and off the field. The Blue Wave players, both past and present, are the standard-bearers for Connecticut girls lacrosse.
Consistently ranked No. 1 in the state, head coach Lisa Lindley’s program at Darien has won three straight state championships, two of the last three FCIAC titles, and has sent numerous girls on to compete at the college level.
That sort of tradition can be intimidating, both for opponents on the outside and for the players on the inside — players who are coming up through the DHS ranks and looking to carry on the rich history.
Senior co-captain Courtney Bennett doesn’t see the expectations that come with being a Blue Wave player as pressure, however. Instead, she sees it as an inspiration.
“For me personally, I’m proud of the tradition we come from,” Bennett said. “We have people coming back who’ve played here and it’s something that’s instilled in you from the beginning. It’s a spirit that’s instilled in the town. It’s a lacrosse spirit and it’s great. It motivates me, it connects me to people around me and it’s a connection we’ll have from here on out.”
Lindley sees it slightly differently, but with the same end result — the coach said that while there is more pressure to succeed given the Wave’s history, it’s a good thing in the long run.
“As each class comes through, they don’t want to be the ones to drop the ball,” Lindley said. “They don’t want to be the ones identified as ‘we didn’t win a state title.’ So I think it is more pressure but it’s a privilege to wear the Wave uniform. Each and every kid when they step on the field, they feel that and know that.”
Any questions which may have been asked about Darien’s chances in 2009 have thus far been answered loud and clear. With a 7-1 record and dominating victories over FCIAC powers Greenwich and New Canaan, the Blue Wave is once again the team to beat in Connecticut.
The latest victory was a grudge match with the Wave’s traditional rival, New Canaan. The Rams are the only Connecticut team to haven beaten Darien since the start of the 2007 season, having accomplished the feat during last year’s FCIAC semifinal round. Darien came back to beat New Canaan in the state quarterfinals a week later, one of four decisive wins as the Wave won a third straight state championship.
Saturday at Dunning Field, the Rams and Blue Wave, both of whom returned a majority of players from last season, met for the first time this spring and the result was all-Darien.
The Wave turned the showdown into a rout when it scored 10 unanswered goals during the first half and went on to win, 17-6, a margin of victory which surprised many.
“You know not to expect anything when you’re going into an FCIAC contest because it can end like this or it can end like it did last year during FCIACs,” Bennett said. “You could end up one down or 11 up, you just never know. So you’ve just got to know that you’re going in and playing you’re hardest.”
The Blue Wave had big games from numerous players, including it’s five co-captains: Attacker Amy Marchesi, midfielder Bennett, goalie Phoebe Maglathlin, defender Jenny Joy and midfielder Kat Nestor.
“They’re all strong leaders,” Lindley said. “Amy is the quarterback on our offense and she has a great stick. Courtney controls the midfield. Phoebe and Jenny take care of the D down low and Kat takes care of the midfield defenders in the middle. I’ve never had five captains before but so far, so good.”
Darien was led in the scoring by Liz Calby, who netted five goals and dished out one assist. Bennett and Marchesi each had a hat trick and two assists, and Clemmy Little had two goals and two assists. Sam Stevenson added two goals, Nestor and Ann Fucigna scored goals, and Cali Ceglarski had an assist.
On defense, Maglathlin made 11 saves, while Joy, Chloe Drimal, Corey Vernon, Nestor and Cat Thomas helped limit the Rams to 17 shots.
Overall, however, it was the draw controls that doomed New Canaan, as Bennett and the Wave won 12 of 14 during the first half.
“I think the key was draw control,” Bennett said. “We got it off the draw, we worked it, we got those one or two quick passes and we were in a fast break. They end up a man down and we were able to capitalize.”
For New Canaan, tri-captain Jenny Simpson led the scoring with a hat trick and one assist, while Anjalie Christie, Kacey Pippitt and Lauren Freeland had one goal apiece. Tri-captains Veronica Lizzio and Meg Boland, two of the Rams’ bigger weapons on offense, were limited to one assist, registered by Boland.
On the defensive end, Charlotte Spitzfaden made 11 saves and had a strong game despite being under intense pressure from the Blue Wave.
“I really didn’t know what to expect today,” Lindley said. “I’ve been reading the box scores and I’ve been seeing that Simpson and Lizzio have been scoring big points, but I really wasn’t sure what to expect. They don’t have (Alexandra) Crerand in the midfield, which is a big difference, and player-for-player, we’re probably stronger. But you can’t take the New Canaan-Darien rivalry for granted.
“Overall, I was very happy. I thought my defense played strong, we controlled the midfield and my attack — I don’t know what the shooting percentage was but it had to be high. I couldn’t be happier. We played hard and we really beat them in every facet of the game.”
“Darien deserved to win it,” New Canaan head coach Kristin Wood said. “If we come out flat and don’t execute the basics — the draw controls, the ground ball battle and the shooting — we’re not going to win.
“Darien came out hard and they played well. They came up with basically all the draws in the first half and they had possession of the ball the whole entire time. They definitely deserved to win that game.”
Both New Canaan and Darien left the game with solid records — the Blue Wave is 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the FCIAC, while New Canaan is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the FCIAC.
Each team has some impressive scores on their resume as well.
Darien has the win over New Canaan as well as a 14-4 decision over Greenwich and a 14-6 win over Suffern, N.Y. The Wave’s lone loss was 12-10 to Garden City, N.Y.
New Canaan has beaten South Windsor, 18-9, and Glastonbury, 13-11, in road games, and lost to Yorktown, N.Y., in another road contest.
The Rams will host defending FCIAC champion Wilton on Friday, May 1, and will play at Greenwich on Tuesday, May 5, in two more conference tests.
Darien, meanwhile, will play at Farmingdale, N.Y., on Saturday, May 2, at Wilton on Thursday, May 7, and at home against Greenwich Academy on Tuesday, May 12.
“We’ve got big games against GA, Farmingdale and Wilton coming up, so it’s a long season,” Lindley said. “What’s hard in this league is to play someone like New Canaan, which is a higher level, and then play the Norwalks and the St. Joe’s. You tend to bring your level of play down for those, so I think it’s hard to sustain that level when you’re not playing the competition. Fortunately, the way our schedule is, we have two weak games and then a strong game, so it does keep us on our toes.”
Keeping the Wave on its toes isn’t something which seems to be a problem at the moment, and perhaps that has something to do with the tradition around which each season begins.
“It’s definitely inspiring to have those people come before you,” Bennett said. “You see them at college, you see what the program turns out and it’s just amazing. It makes you proud.”
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.