New Canaan Red (U-9 Girls Soccer) Defeat Darien U9G Blue 5-0

As the parents bundled up on the sidelines to ward off a lingering late morning chill, the NC Red girls strode out on the field with an air of cool composure and a silent promise to freeze the Darien team in their tracks.

The impenetrable wall of NC Red defense was immediately evident as Parker Hanson, Nikki Ferraro and Sydney Patten anchored the back line and ferociously deflected each Darien advance. Confident their backs were covered, the offensive line took the fight to the other side of the pitch when Cecilia Patterson danced through two defenders in a midfield breakaway and found Payton DeCamillo on crossing shot which she promptly punched past a surprised Darien keeper. NC Red followed with a series of blistering attacks that quickly wore down the Darien defense. Within minutes, Maddie Tully raised the score to 2-0 when she picked off a wobbly goal kick and turned it back on the helpless Darien keeper. The play shifted to the NC Red side of the pitch for several more minutes until Tully broke from the pack with a serpentine run up the right side and closed with a beautiful loft shot that floated up and over the Darien keeper’s head, bringing the score to 3-0. NC Red keeper, Lila Gizzie, only had to field two shots on goal for the half thanks to the indomitable NC Red defense.

The NC Red girls kept up the pressure as they entered the fray for the second half. After several minutes of attacking play which saw several solo runs into a crowded Darien defense, Coach Luke decided to call for order when he yelled “where is the recycle girls!” Properly reoriented, the NC Red girls responded in kind when Tully tapped a short pass to Paige Place who swiftly snaked through several defenders on the left side and blasted a shot into the far right corner to cement a 4-0 lead. Some contentious play followed as two more NC Red goals were dismissed on questionable referee calls; leading a flabbergasted Kallie Patterson to throw up her hands in protest. NC Red closed out the final score of 5-0 on an insurance goal from Place from within a tight scrimmage around the Darien goal. NC Red keeper, Reese Quinn, denied all Darien attempts in the half and maintained NC Red’s flawless score.

Picture: Payton DeCamillo moves through Darien traffic.