Blue Wave Boys Lacrosse Beats Wilton, 10-9, In Classic

It was another classic game in the storied lacrosse rivalry between Darien and Wilton.

In a face-off played with the intensity of a state championship,  the second-seeded Blue Wave held on for a thrilling 10-9 victory over the no. 7 Warriors in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class M tournament.

Alden Frelinghuysen and Henry West each scored thre goals for Darien, which narrowly kept alive its hopes of winning a sixth consecutive state championship.

The Blue Wave (16-3) will face another bitter rival—New Canaan—in the semifinals on Tuesday, which could serve as the de facto state championship game.

"Fortunately, our defensive really stepped up; made some key knockdowns, interceptions; and our goalie [Andrew West] made some great saves," Darien coach Jeff Brameier said. "That was obviously the difference at the end of the game."

Michael Greco, Christopher Nugent, and Michael Serpa each scored two goals for Wilton, which was eliminated from the state tournament by Darien for the third straight year.

Last year, The Blue Wave defeated the Warriors, 17-11, in the state final.

While Witon pushed Darien in the second half on Saturday, it never could get the contest tied. Jonathan Andrews scored the game's final goal for for the Warriors with 25 seconds left.

"It was one of those last possessions and we got the last possession because we made a couple big plays," Brameier added. "It was obviously a back-and-forth game. Fourth quarter, it's anybody's game—whoever gets the goals."

Wilton surprised the Blue Wave early, grabbing  a 2-0 lead on goals by Daniel Bartram and Greco less than a minute a part.

But Darien responded with six straight goals. Frelinghuysen scored two goals, and Bryan Annechino and Henry West each notched one to give the Blue Wave a 4-2 lead after the first quarter

West and Brian Gleason continued the run early in the second, extending Darien's margin to 6-2.

Nugent and Serpa then scored for Wilton, pulling the Warriors with 6-4 in the see-saw contest.

After another goal by Frelinghuysen, Michael Francia and Nugent tallied, as the hard-charging Warriors climbed to within a goal.

But Gleason registered a critical goal for Darien with 11 seconds left in the first half to provide a two-goal cushion at the break.

The second half was more of a defensive struggle, with Wilton three times inching to within a goal but never getting the equalizer.

Serpa opened the second half scoring for Wilton, only to have Bobby Nolan answer for Darien.

Greco made it 9-8 before West netted his third to restore the Blue Wave's two-goal margin and complete Darien's scoring.

"I didn't want to see Francia get that opportunity [to tie the game]," Brameier said. "He's a heady little kid. He's not a guy I want with the ball on his stick at the end of the game when it's tied. Fortunately, he didn't get that opportunity."

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