Fairfield Prep Upset in SCC Boys Soccer Tourney

An extra day of preparation could not help Fairfield Prep get past Guilford in the semifinals of the Southern Connecticut Conference boys' soccer tournament.

The Jesuits lost,  2-0, to the Indians on Friday afternoon at Alumni Field after the game was pushed back a day due to Thursday's inclement weather.

Prep, which earned the No. 2 seed in the SCC tourney,  suffered a major blow in the first half when senior captain Matt D'Ambrisi went down with an injury.

"The loss of our captain and starting sweeper,   D'Ambrisi, really impacted the team since he had played every minute of every game up to that point," Fairfield Prep head coach Ryan Lyddy. "But the opportunity was still there for us to beat them."

 This was the first bit of success Guilford has had over the Jesuits (12-3-3) this year.  During the regular season, Prep tied the Indians, 1-1, then earned a 2-1 victory.

 James Carroll opened the scoring for Guilford in the first half. Prep had trouble getting its offense going throughout the game.

Jesuits goalkeeper Will Steiner was able to temporarily keep the game 1-0 with a diving save early in the second half.

However, Kevin Jacobsen was able to put the Indians up 2-0 a few minutes later after a favorable bounce left the ball perfectly at his foot.  

"We've  had a great season with being a newly formed coaching staff," said Lyddy, who is in his first season as coach.  "The team has really jelled.  We sold what we were trying to sell, and they bought into the coaches' style of play."

Prep next takes on Bridgeport Central at home on Monday in the first round of the Class LL state tournament.