Sports
FCIAC Title Run Comes up Short for Darien Girls Lacrosse
Casey Pearsall scores four goals as the Warriors win their second straight league title.
This time, Wilton didn't need overtime to defeat Darien in the FCIAC girls lacrosse championship.
Casey Pearsall scored four goals Friday as the Warriors defeated the Blue Wave 15-12 at McMahon to win their second straight conference championship.
The two previous games between the rivals went to overtime, including Wilton's 13-13 triple OT epic in last season's finale.
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In the first half, the teams traded goals, with Wilton (17-1) holding a 7-5 lead at the intermission.
After some halftime adjustments, the Blue Wave opened the second half with two quick goals to forge a 7-7 tie, but Darien could never gain the lead.
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Pearsall's goal gave Wilton a 15-9 lead with 10 minutes left before the Blue Wave made a belated rally that fell short. Darien closed within 15-12 with 22 seconds remaining.
Wilton goalie Maddie Kratz turned back 14 shots — several in the closing minutes — to protect the lead and seal Wilton’s second straight FCIAC championship.
Kratz and Pearsall were named co-MVPs of the game. Taylor Hardison’s led Darien with four goals while Emmas Stein added three.
Both teams now move onto the state tournament where they may still meet again. If the Class M brackets play on, they would be on target to meet in the semifinals.
