DARIEN Conn. - It would have been easy for Darien captain Corey Caputo to back away from the football connection he and his Blue Wave lacrosse teammates have with the New Canaan Rams. After all, Darien had a tremendous season even if it hadn't beaten the rival Rams, who handed the Wave its only two losses in the FCIAC and state Class M finals.
Jeff Brameier, Darien head coach
Photo By Jim Stout
Not many of the New Canaan football players are on the lacrosse roster, but it’s hard to blame the Blue Wavers for walking with a spring in their step after they thrashed the Rams at their home of Dunning Field, 12-3, on May 7. After all, the rivalry is still there even if the players wearing the uniforms are different.
“We lost those two games to New Canaan during football, and that fired me up for today,” a smiling Caputo said. “Not a lot of them play lacrosse, but it’s still New Canaan-Darien. They’re still wearing red and we’re wearing white.”
Football has had a huge impact on the Blue Wave’s lacrosse season in other ways as well, as Darien took a huge hit when senior captain Nikki Dysenchuk, the team’s leading returning scorer, suffered a torn ACL during Darien’s 35-32 victory over favored Hillhouse in the Class M semifinals in December. The injury forced the Wave to adapt, a process which head coach Jeff Brameier said is ongoing.
“It did take them a while. Offensively, I think we’re still getting there. We play such a tough schedule, we began to have some doubts,” said Brameier, who earned his 400th career coaching win this season.
“Losing Nikki during football season was big for us,” Caputo said. “We knew we’d have to change everything. Once we got into the season, we started flowing together, we knew what we’d be able to do and we’ve been playing well.”
The season began with some bumps, as Darien (10-4 overall, 9-1 FCIAC) found itself in the unusual position of having three losses early in the schedule. The Wave was 4-3 in its first seven games, although all three of the losses were to extremely tough opponents. Darien lost its second game of the year, 14-13, to Manhassett during the Battle Across the Sound, before dropping games to Malvern, Pa., 9-4, and Yorktown, N.Y., 9-6.
Brameier said the attack was struggling to find its way early on.
“Offensively, with Manhassett we scored 13 goals, so that wasn’t the offense, but then we went to Malvern and we played like crap,” the coach said. “They play a very methodical, slow-down game and our defense got tired and our offense didn’t possess the ball. We had our chances against Yorktown, we just didn’t do it.
“For us to have three losses that early in the season, it was kind of like ‘Uh oh, what’s wrong with our team?’ But there’s really nothing wrong. We just played some very talented teams and we didn’t play very well.”
While the offense has had to adjust, the defense has been all but impenetrable.
The Wave has allowed just 76 goals this year — a 5.43 goals against average — and in the last seven games, that dipped to 23 goals and a 2.3 average.
Senior long poles Caputo and Matt Gorski have been the steady forces on the defense, with seniors Mike Gasparino and Ryan Mulligan also delivering big seasons.
“We’re playing great defense, and all the juniors are helping us a lot now,” Caputo said. “We’ve been picking up our team defense and we’re playing together. Our transition has picked up and we’re not wasting the ball like we had been. We still have a lot to work on, but we feel good right now and everything we’re doing is working up to the FCIAC playoffs and state championships.”
Short stick defenders Matt Wheelock and Andrew Bay, two mores seniors, have also been key to the Wave wall, while junior goalie Andrew West has stepped into Jameson Love’s shoes and done admirably.
The defense has also gotten contributions from underclassmen such as juniors George Benitez and Brian Annecchino, and sophomore Eric Parnon.
The key, Brameier said, has been the team’s calm and steady approach.
“We’re learning to play patient, we’re not forcing it or trying to take the ball away when it wasn’t necessary — just don’t get beat,” the coach said. “They try to attack the short sticks and we happen to have two very good short-stick defensive players in Matt Wheelock, who was a phenomenal quarterback and a great athlete, and then Andy Bay, who’s a great soccer and hockey player. Those two kids are tough to beat 1-on-1.
“When you can’t beat the short sticks and you’ve got very good poles with Corey and Matt and the rest of those guys, it’s very tough for an offense to beat. And Andrew West is getting better and better every game, so that makes our defense even tougher. That’s where our strength is right now.”
Offensively, the loss of Dysenchuk changed the focus, but the Blue Wave’s depth has allowed it to adapt where other teams might regress.
Leading the charge has been senior attacks Chas Brickman and Tyler Foley, the team’s leading scorers. Brickman has racked up a team-best 35 goals and 19 assists for 54 points, while Foley is right behind him with 25 goals and 19 assists for 44 points.
Freshman attack Case Matheis, thrust into a big role in the absence of Dysenchuk, has 17 goals and 10 points for 27 points, and junior Brian Gleason has 18 points and seven assists for 25 points.
At midfield, senior John Bolton is third on the team in scoring with 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 points, while senior Cameron Ross takes the faceoffs and has won at a 62 percent clip (103-for-166).
“On offense, we have a freshman replacing a senior and he’s doing fine,” Brameier said. “Chas and Foley are doing fine and our midfield is OK. We’re just not as explosive as we usually are at midfield. But we’re coming.”
The coach also has his eye on a strong combination for future years, as Matheis becomes more acclimated with the varsity game and sophomore Ben Preston takes on a bigger role for the team.
“A sophomore who we’re trying to groom on offense and he’s done well in spurts is Preston,” Brameier said. “That’s a big body and when he gets going, he’s very fast and he shoots hard. He’s going to be a tough for the next few years. He and Case will be a good combination for the next few years.”
Darien, which lost a tight 8-7 battle against the Ridgefield Tigers last week at Tiger Hollow, will wrap up the regular season against Stamford and Norwalk before beginning postseason play.
Ridgefield, which owns a 10-0 FCIAC record, will be the top seed in the conference tournament, with Darien the likely No. 2 seed. Both Darien and Wilton have one loss, but the Wave beat the Warriors 8-4 earlier this season.
New Canaan, which entered the week at 8-2, is currently the No. 4 seed, with Greenwich and Westhill tied at 6-4.
The FCIAC tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 27.
Even though it won’t be in its customary spot as the league’s No. 1 seed, Darien is not about to back down.
“I love to be No. 1,” Caputo said. “Even if we drop down and we’re not No. 1, it makes me want to be No. 1 even more. If you’re a winner, you just want to win. If you’re a loser, that’s too bad, but that’s not us. We’re winners and we want to keep winning.”
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
