Granby Memorial Comes Up Short in Field Hockey Semifinals

WETHERSFIELD/WATERTOWN, CT — Three teams from north-central Connecticut entered Wednesday's semifinal action in the CIAC state field hockey tournaments with high hopes, but unfortunately all three came up a bit short in their efforts to make it into the finals.

At Wethersfield High School, site of the upcoming state tournament championship games, fourth-seeded Granby Memorial was shut out 3-0 by No. 1 Westbrook, eliminating the Bears from the Class S tournament.

Meanwhile, in a Class L doubleheader at Watertown High School, Staples kicked things off with a 2-1 win over second-seeded Enfield. In the nightcap, Darien shut out top-ranked and previously unbeaten Glastonbury 2-0 to set up an all-FCIAC final Saturday at 10 a.m.

WESTBROOK 3, GRANBY MEMORIAL 0

Granby held a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal, but Westbrook converted two of four penalty corners, propelling the Knights into a state championship game for the first time in 41 years.

Alexa Mulvihill, Avery Bauman and Zoe Ehlert tallied goals for Westbrook, while goalkeeper Lauren Wright registered nine saves.

Rory Conroy had one save for Granby, which had been seeking its 14th trip to the finals. Since capturing the inaugural state tournament in 1973, the Bears have won 13 championships without a title game loss.

STAPLES 2, ENFIELD 1

Freshman Kyle Kirby showed she is a force to be reckoned with despite her tender years, scoring once in each half to lead the third-seeded Wreckers past Enfield.

Kirby got Staples on the board just 1:32 into the contest, banging home a rebound off a penalty corner. After Enfield tied it at 1-1 less than five minutes later, the Wreckers appeared to re-take the lead near the midpoint of the first half, but the officials ruled the ball did not cross the goal line.

With just under 10 minutes to play in regulation time, Kirby netted what proved to be the game-winning goal, converting a pass from Elle Fair off another penalty corner.

Goalkeeper Bridget Mulloy earned the victory, stopping three Enfield shots.

DARIEN 2, GLASTONBURY 0

The Darien defense was extra tough against a Glastonbury team that had scored 60 goals during the season, holding the Tomahawks without a shot at netminder Kalli Coughlin.

Junior Kiki Tropsa scored once in each half, both off penalty corners, to propel the fourth-seeded Blue Wave into the Class L finals for the fourth time in the past five years.

Dating back to its first championship game appearance in 1981, Darien has won nine state title matches without a loss.

Photo credit: Tim Jensen