Fairfield Ludlowe Girls Soccer Suffers Another Tough Loss

Don't let the numbers fool you. Each time the Fairfield Ludlowe High girls soccer team has taken the field this season, it has been a battle for the Lady Falcons in the always rugged FCIAC.

Three losses by a single goal left Ludlowe at .500 entering Thursday's match against Ridgefield, a club the Falcons defeated, 1-0, last year.

Once again, the Falcons were on the short end of a one-goal game, falling to the Tigers, 2-1, in Fairfield.  D.D.  Caravelli scored the tiebreaking goal for Ridgefield on a penalty kick late in the second half.

 "We can play with anyone in our league, and we've shown that all season long," Ludlowe coach Tony Samuelian said. "The girls are playing hard and giving it their all, and we've really played the meat of our schedule early on this season.

"Just looking at the Hartford Courant poll, six of the top ten teams in the state are in our league. It's frustrating for the kids to lose these close games, but we are going to be battle-tested for the rest of the season."  

A tenacious Falcons squad took a 1-0 lead in the first half, courtesy of a deft header from forward Lucia Harold that nailed the back of the Tigers cage.

Having already seen his team drop a tough decision to the Falcons last season, Ridgefield  coach Robb Banyai knew it was going to be a struggle once more in this contest.

"When our two teams play, you can just throw our records out the window, because it is always down the wire between us," Banyai said. "They (Ludlowe) are well-coached, well-disciplined, and always a really tough matchup. Tonight was no different than it always is when we match up against them."

Banyai's squad bounced back from the early deficit with three minutes to go in the first half when Monica Brown nailed a cross to Ellie Gravitte, who one-timed it into the Falcons' goal.

Following the break, the aggressive style of play exhibited by both teams ratched up another notch, and the Falcons (3-4-1) put forth a handful of key chances that fell just short.

Lucia Harold rifled a shot from 18 yards out that sailed just over the Tigers' goal, while Falcons goalkeeper Blakely Zecher turned back a pair of strong Ridgefield opportunities.

However, a controversial call late in regulation proved costly for the hosts when a defender was whistled for a hand ball inside the Falcons' box. 

Caravelli cashed in on the sudden opportunity, placing the penalty shot inside the right post for a 2-1 Tigers lead with just minutes to go.

 The Falcons continued to fight, pressing deep in Ridgefield territory where Gabby Rudolph nailed a crossing pass to teammate Catherine Rooney with four minutes remaining.

Rooney one-timed it with authority, but the well-placed shot just inside the near post was swallowed up.  Ridgefield held on, escaping Ludlowe with a narrow road win.

"We grabbed the early lead but they countered right back tonight, and we caught a tough break on that hand ball call," Samuelian said. "We've got plenty of soccer left to play, though.

"The toughest part of the schedule is over and done with, and I can definitely say that we are a better team now than we were early in the season. We are moving in the right direction every time we take the field."