By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
NORWALK, Conn. --- It was an unusual feeling watching an FCIAC boys lacrosse championship game without seeing the familiar blue and white uniforms of the Darien Blue Wave last spring.
Darien, a perennial contender for league and state titles, was upset by the New Canaan Rams in the semifinals, and the 2007 FCIAC crown wound up on the heads of the Greenwich Cardinals, who beat the Rams in the final a few days later.
Well, it’s now 2008 and the kings have officially returned.
The Darien Blue Wave outscored the Ridgefield Tigers 8-3 down the stretch, blowing open a close game and claiming the FCIAC championship for the fourth time in five years, 13-9, last Wednesday at Brien McMahon High School.
Darien, the No. 1 seed in the FCIAC and in Class M, defeated Notre Dame-West Haven 18-0 in the first round of the State tournament Saturday and is now 19-1 in a year in which they were not the favorites to finish on top of the league. The Wave will face No. 9 Wilton in a showdown of FCIAC powers in the Class M semifinals Tuesday at 5 p.m. at DHS.
The FCIAC’s premier team for more than a decade, Darien faced off against a newcomer to the league championship game, as the third-seeded Ridgefield Tigers (16-3) were making their first appearance in the final after upsetting No. 2 Greenwich in the semis.
The Blue Wave burst out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter, only to have the Tigers come back with a 5-1 run to tie the game at 5-5 by halftime. When Ridgefield junior Matt White scored 7:30 into the third quarter, the Tigers had the lead at 6-5.
Darien took over from there. Tyler Foley scored back-to-back goals to put the Wave back in front and Colin Delaney also found the back of the net for an 8-6 lead.
White scored the final goal of the third quarter to cut the deficit to one at 8-7, but Darien opened the fourth quarter with a 4-1 run and went on to post a four-goal victory.
Delaney and Mike Ryan were the game’s high scorers with four goals apiece for Darien, while Foley had a hat trick and earned MVP honors. Nikki Dysenchuk dished out three assists.
White had a hat trick and two assists for Ridgefield, Jordan Tiger had two goals and two assists, and Colin Scott scored twice.
Both goalies had strong games as Darien’s Jameson Love made 14 saves, and Ridgefield’s Brad DePrima made 11.
Girls Lacrosse: Warriors Hold off Rams for Title
The Wilton Warriors claimed the FCIAC’s girls lacrosse championship with a wild 15-14 win over the New Canaan Rams last Wednesday at Brien McMahon.
The fourth-seeded Rams (16-4) had the early edge, building a 7-4 lead with less than four minutes to play in the first half.
No. 3 Wilton (16-2-1) scored the final two goals of the first half as part of an 11-2 run that gave the Warriors a commanding 15-9 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
The Rams still had some life left, however, and sparked by three goals from Jenny Simpson, scored the next five goals to cut the deficit to 15-14 with 4:40 to play. New Canaan had some shots in the closing minutes but couldn’t get the equalizer as Wilton won its first league title since 2005.
Warrior Kacie Johnson took MVP honors with five goals and an assist, while Amy Drummond had three goals and two assists, Brooke Flanagan had three goals and an assist and Alexi Farmakis had a goal and four assists.
For the Rams, Simpson had five goals and an assist, Veronica Lizzio had five goals and Alexandra Crerend had four goals and two assists.
Baseball: Speer Pitches Staples to Championship
Sophomore David Speer had a huge game for the Staples, tossing a complete game four-hitter and giving the Wreckers the FCIAC championship with a 3-1 win over Westhill on May 24 at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.
No. 7 Staples scored the go-ahead runs in the top of the seventh, as Grant Moss hit an RBI single and Mike Rutski walked with the bases loaded.
The FCIAC championship was the first in 23 years for Staples, which improved to 15-8.
The tournament was a wild one, as all four of the top seeds were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Softball: Freshman’s Hit Gives Westhill FCIAC
Eileen Tublin ripped an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give the Westhill Vikings a 3-2 win over Fairfield-Warde in the FCIAC softball championship game on May 22 at Sacred Heart University.
Tublin, a freshman, was named the game’s MVP after delivering three hits and two RBIs. Pitcher Jen Joseph allowed just two hits and two unearned runs in seven innings for Westhill (18-5), the tournament’s No. 2 seed.
The Vikings had taken a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Joseph and Tublin in the bottom of the second. No. 5 Warde (17-6) came back with two runs in the fourth in support of pitcher Gina Treglia.
The score remained 2-2 until the seventh, when Lynette Martinez doubled and was driven in by Tublin. The FCIAC championship was the first for Westhill since 1999.
Softball: Newtown Scores Off Fico, but Masuk Takes Crown
The Masuk Panthers haven’t had to come behind much during the past three seasons, as junior pitcher Rachele Fico has been next to untouchable.
But the Panthers showed they have the ability to rally as they scored seven runs in the final two innings to beat the Newtown Nighthawks 7-1 for the SWC championship on May 24 at DeLuca Field in Stratford.
Shayna Ramalho had the big hit, a two-out two-run double in the top of the sixth to give the Panthers (25-0) a 3-1 lead at the time. Ramalho was named the game’s MVP.
Fico allowed her first earned run this season in the third on a hit batter, an infield single and a single by Newtown’s Katie Bowen. With the bases loaded and one out, Fico struck out the next two batters to end the inning and was perfect the rest of the way.
Masuk had its big inning in the sixth. Alyssa Pagano reached on a single and went to second on a sacrifice, Fico was intentionally walked and Chaise Courbon tied the score with a two-out RBI single. Ramalho then followed with her two-run double.
The Panthers plated four more runs in the seventh before putting the finishing touches on their fourth consecutive SWC title.
Masuk and Newton (20-6) met up one more time in the Class LL quarterfinals last Friday, and the Panthers were victorious again, 1-0, in 11 innings.
The only run scored when Marissa Chiappone singles and Caitlin Viccari drove her home with a double.
The top four seeds have reached the semifinals in Class LL and will square off Tuesday at DeLuca Field. No. 2 Masuk faces No. 3 Fitch (21-2) at 5 p.m. with No. 1 Trumbull taking on No. 4 Naugatuck in the late game.
Baseball: Masuk’s Mike Lucas Deals in SWC Final
Pitcher Mike Lucas delivered a standout week for the Panthers, and capped it off with a complete game three-hitter in the final, giving Masuk the SWC baseball championship with a 6-1 win over Notre Dame-Fairfield on May 24.
Lucas had thrown a one-hitter in the quarterfinals versus New Milford and earned a save in a semifinal win over Bunnell. His three-hitter in the final included eight strikeouts and earned the pitcher MVP honors.
The Notre Dame-Fairfield Lancers (15-9) had a brief lead after scoring a run in the top of the first, but the Panthers came back with four in the bottom of the frame to take control. A pair of bases-loaded walks made it 2-0 and Mike Curtain and Ryan Rossomando followed with RBI hits for the 4-1 lead.
Rossomando also tripled in the fifth run and then scored on a sac fly by Brandon Buckley later in the game.
No. 13 Masuk (20-6) won its first three games in the Class LL tournament and will face No. 1 Stamford (21-3) in the semifinals Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Nolan Field in Ansonia. No. 7 Westhill (21-5) is facing No. 3 Amity (19-4) in the early semifinal game at the same site.
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
