Tigers make history with first title; Darien girls claim league crown; Newtown lax takes two SWC titles.
NORWALK, Conn. - On a night when the Darien Blue Wave girls lacrosse team regained its position as the champion of the FCIAC, the Ridgefield boys reached their ultimate goal and made history.
Senior attack Matt White scored off a feed from senior midfielder Matt Baker 1:16 into overtime, as Ridgefield defeated the Darien Blue Wave, 7-6, to capture the FCIAC boys lacrosse championship for the first time in school history, June 2 at Brien McMahon in Norwalk.
The game-winning series began when a Darien clearing attempt was deflected and Baker came up with the resulting ground ball. Baker beat a defenseman and raced up the sideline, quickly passing over to White on the right side. White faked a shot and then slipped the ball past Darien goalie Andrew West to gain the crown for Ridgefield.
Ridgefield (19-1) became the first team other than Wilton, Darien, New Canaan and Greenwich to win the conference title, just one year after the Tigers reached the final for the first time. In that game, the Tigers were defeated by Darien, 13-9, but they came back to beat the Wave, 8-7, during the regular season this spring.
The Tigers had a big scare in the tournament, as they trailed No. 4 New Canaan, 10-7, with three minutes remaining in the semifinals on May 30. Ridgefield rallied with three goals in the final 2:52, however, and won the game when Brendan Walsh scored in overtime.
In the final, goalie Jake Hyatt had a big game for the Tigers as he collected 12 saves. White took MVP honors with a hat trick, while Baker and Ian Vazquez had one goal and one assist apiece. Mike Galione had two assists, and Colin Scott and Aaron Mathias each scored once.
For Darien (15-5), which got past Wilton easily 11-3 in the semis, Jon Bolton led the way with three goals, while Nikki Dysenchuk scored twice. Chas Brickman had the Wave’s other goal, Case Matheis and Tyler Foley had assists, and West made 12 saves.
FCIAC Girls Lacrosse: Darien tips New Canaan for crown
The Darien girls lacrosse team received a battle from third-seeded New Canaan in the FCIAC title tilt, as the Rams opened the second half with a 3-1 run to take a 7-5 lead with 19:14 to play.
The top-seeded Blue Wave rallied with four straight goals — one from Courtney Bennett, two from Ann Fucigna and one from Sam Stevenseon to take a 9-7 lead with 10:38 on the clock.
New Canaan’s Veronica Lizzio and Jenny Simpson scored back-to-back goals on free positions to knot the score at 9-9 with 5:33 remaining, but Fucigna scored the game-winner with 2:18 to play, as Darien came up with the 10-9 win.
For Darien (16-2), Fucigna took MVP honors with three goals — all in the final 18:10. Stevenson also had a hat trick, while Bennett scored twice, Amy Marchesi had a goal and two assists, and Clemmi Little scored once. Goalie Phoebe Maglathlin made six saves to get the win.
For the Rams (16-4), Meg Boland led the offense with three goals and an assist, Simpson had two goals and an assist, and Anjalie Christie had two goals. Lizzio and Sarah Mannelly also scored, Kacie Pippitt had an assist, and goalie Charlotte Spitzfaden made eight saves.
New Canaan and Darien could meet again in the state Division I final on Saturday, June 13, although the Rams have an easier path to the final.
Darien, the No. 6 seed, is on the same side of the bracket with No. 10 Greenwich and No. 2 Wilton. Wilton and Greenwich square off in Monday’s quarterfinals, with the winner facing either Darien or No. 3 Avon.
No. 8 New Canaan hosts No. 17 McMahon on Monday, and will play the winner of the game between No. 4 Glastonbury and No. 5 Newtown, the SWC champion. New Canaan played at Glastonbury earlier this season and won, 13-11.
SWC Boys Lacrosse: Nighthawks end Rebel unbeaten streak in final
Kevin Canavan scored the game-winner in the fourth quarter, capping his six-goal night and giving the Newtown Nighthawks the SWC boys lacrosse championship, 9-8, over favored and No. 1 seed New Fairfield on June 2.
The second-seeded Hawks gained revenge for last year’s title game loss, as the Rebels won that one, 15-4, en route to a perfect season. New Fairfield also beat Newtown during the regular season this spring, 11-10.
Newtown (17-3), received big games from several players, including defenseman Kyle McNamara, who will play at Delaware next year. McNamara set up Canavan’s winning goal after he knocked the ball free from New Fairfield in Newtown’s defensive zone.
McNamara picked up the ground ball and carried it across midfield, eventually tossing a pass to Canavan, who nailed home the ninth and final goal.
McNamara earned MVP honors for the tournament, while Christian Beitel had two goals and two assists, and Jamie Vavrek scored once. Jacob Dauz had two assists, while Lewis Thompson and McNamara had one each. Goalie Clarence Cheung made nine saves to get the win.
For the Rebels (19-1), who suffered their first loss since 2007, Ryan Mallon and Dan Meily each scored twice, Ryan Harro had a goal and two assists, and Matt Murphy, Andrew Fiamengo and Max Blum had assists. Goalie Nick Costabile made 11 saves.
SWC Girls Lacrosse: Nighthawks notch fifth straight league title
While the Newtown boys were picking up their championship, the Nightwalk girls were continuing a recent rite of spring when they won their fifth consecutive SWC lacrosse crown with a 17-12 decision over the Brookfield Bobcats.
Sisters Betsy and Lisa Vendel, along with Caitlin Brophy, each scored four goals, and shared MVP honors. Meghan Bridges and Meghan Carny added two goals apiece, while Jackie Isabella had Newtown’s other goal.
Brophy dished out three assists and Lisa Vendel and Isabella had two each. Also with assists were Betsy Vendel, Bridges, Emma Kingsley and Katie Canavan. Goalie Marne Thompson made six saves.
For Brookfield (14-6), Jackie Brown and Kathryn Moore had hat tricks, Nicole Perrone and Emily Leonard had two goals each, and Alexa Foldy and Beth Magin had assists. Goalie Karynne Cabral made 12 saves.
Five to enter FCIAC Hall of Fame
The FCIAC will induct five people into its Hall of Fame when the conference holds its annual dinner and recognition ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Testo’s Restaurant in Bridgeport.
This year’s inductees include Tracy Nichols, the athletic director and baseball coach at Trinity Catholic in Stamford; Ed Faulkner, Brien McMahon High’s softball and girls basketball coach; Steve Norris, the girls cross country and track and field coach at Darien HS; Sandy Hoddinott, Ridgefield’s girls; cross country and track and field coach; and Nancy Bond, Bassick’s girls volleyball, basketball and softball coach.
The FCIAC will also present special service awards to Leon Jaiven, the announcer at Stamford’s Boyle Stadium, and Norman Sculley, the voice of Norwalk High Sports.
Tickets for the event are $10 and will be available at the door. To order in advance, contact Fairfield-Ludlowe athletic director Dave Schulz at DSchulz@Fairfield.K12.ct.us.
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.
