By Jim Stout
MaxPreps.com
FAIRFIELD, Conn. --- Some lacrosse teams might have gotten mad. How can you not get mad when your All-American midfielder and Duke University recruit takes a wicked slash across the legs and tumbles to the ground in pain?
Darien High, however, does not stand as the reigning Connecticut champs and one of the top programs in the nation by getting mad or vindictive. The Blue Wave opt for a different tactic.
They get even.
Stunned by a hit that temporarily felled senior All-American Sam Spillane early in the third quarter, Darien responded immediately with a man-up goal, then reeled off four more goals before the quarter was through as it crushed second-ranked Fairfield Prep, 12-4, before over 1,000 fans at Alumni Field on Thursday.
When Spillane got hacked by Fairfield Prep goalie Tom Kralovenec with 8:04 remaining in the third period, Darien was nursing a 5-3 lead. Colin Delaney (3 goals) scored immediately for the Blue Wave to make it 6-3.
Before the quarter was finished, Delaney, Mike Ryan (four goals), Ryan again and Nick Heitz (3 goals) all scored for Darien, running the Blue Wave advantage to 10-3.
The showdown for the supremacy in Connecticut lacrosse had thus become a show of force and measured response for Darien (13-2), which remained undefeated in state play and has not lost a game in state since 2004.
Prep dropped to 12-3, with its two state losses coming against FCIAC teams, Darien and New Canaan.
"Sam's definitely a big target," Delaney said. "The best way to retaliate is to do it on the scoreboard if your opponent is going to take stupid penalties."
Kralovenec, Prep's otherwise standout senior goalie, did not dispute the ill-advised timing of the penalty he incurred by slashing Spillane. Moments earlier, Spillane leveled Kralovenec with a check as the senior goalie ventured far from his crease.
Kralovenec played summer lacrosse last season with Spillane and four other Darien team members in the Connecticut Super Juniors program.
The goal that followed the slash by Kralovenec was one of four (in five tries) man-advantage goals scored by Darien.
"I was just really ticked off," said Kralovenec, who was replaced by junior Ryan Lagano as he served his penalty. "I really shouldn't have done that. I just got out of my mind a little and acted on emotion."
As big as the penalty and ensuing man-up goal proved to be, it was arguably the score by Ryan earlier in the third period that best defined this long-awaited match.
After Paul Finlay had trimmed Prep's 4-2 halftime deficit to 4-3 at 52 seconds of the third, Ryan muscled up for a ground ball directly in front of Kralovenec and easily converted for Darien, giving his team a 5-3 lead with 9:13 to play in the third.
"I think the physicality that we put into this game took a little bit of the wind out of (Prep)," Delaney said. "We were on them and riding them on their clears and winning a lot of ground balls, and then possessing the ball. We did a good job of possessing."
Darien coach Jeff Brameier agreed. He also liked the creativity that flowed out of those possessions.
"Our top two scoring guys, Spillane and Heitz, were more of the trigger guys today," Brameier said.
"They were setting the table and moving the ball for the others. They were creating pressure by drawing people to them and creating openings for others on attack. That was crucial. As a result, Colin had another great game, like he did against Yorktown. Mike Ryan had a big game. Our goalie (Jameson Love, 14 saves) was tremendous and our defense was great.
"We were very good with the ball and minimized our turnovers," Brameier added. "We'd been a little sloppy lately so this was nice. We were very patient and we didn't commit very many penalties ourselves."
Despite his team's overwhelming performance, however, Brameier said Darien hadn't won anything yet, other than beating a Fairfield Prep team that will be favored to win the state Class L championship. Darien will compete in the Class M tournament, where it is the defending champion.
The Blue Wave also won the Division I championship in 2005 under the old state format.
"This (performance) says we had a great game today, that's all; it doesn't win you a championship," Brameier said.
"It gives you a little boost of confidence and shows you what you're capable of. But if we don't take care of business through the rest of May and the first two weeks in June, we're not going to be happy, and this win won't mean anything."
Game Notes: Will Coursen, Spencer Parnell and Robert Rotanz also scored for Prep, which will enter the Class L tournament as defending champs.Spillane finished with two goals and one assist for Darien.Prep, a SCC member, has lost both of its games in May against FCIAC teams since upsetting Chaminade of Long Island April 28. "Ever since we beat Chaminade, it's like we've stopped playing," Kralovenec said. "It seems like whenever our team gets down, we have trouble getting back up."
Jim Stout is the MaxPreps.com Master Photographer for the Southern New England area and a Northeast Region columnist. He may be reached at 203-563-2297 or at j.stout@jmstout.org
