Staples Boys' Soccer Holds off Warde In Season Opener

Fairfield Warde gave the vaunted Staples soccer team all it could ask for  Tuesday afternoon in Fairfield, but in the end the Wreckers prevailed, 2-1, in the opener of their state title defense.

Still, the defending state Class LL and FCIAC champs were severely tested by the  Mustangs in a contest that went down to the wire,  and Wreckers coach Dan Woog was blunt in his assessment of the game.

"I think a lot of Warde's performance today," he said. "I don't think a  lot of ours."

By contrast, Warde coach Justin Ottavio was "elated" with his team's effort on  the pitch.

"I was really impressed with the way our team performed," Ottavio said. "Staples  is a team that commands a lot of respect and deservedly so. I think for the  first 15 minutes we played like we were a little shell-shocked, but after that I thought we played fluid and dynamic soccer."

The Wreckers got on the board early, taking a 1-0 lead only 4:15 into the game.  Brendan Lesch controlled the ball along the Warde baseline, and then threaded a  splendid pass to Greg Gudis cutting in front of the net. Gudis one-timed it past Mustang goalie Dylan Strachan for the score.

The Mustangs eventually got rid of their jitters and the game settled into a  defensive struggle for the rest of the first half, with neither team able to maintain a consistent offensive attack.

Early in the second half, Warde was awarded a free kick near midfield. Kevin  Petroccio drilled the ball from midfield, feeding a high ball in front of the  Staples net. Senior Guthrie Carpenter responded by beautifully heading the ball  into the goal to knot the score at one goal apiece at the 2:53 mark.

"Guthrie is going to be a very good player in this league," Ottavio said. "He  has skills and he knows what to do with the ball in front of the goal. I  wouldn't be surprised if he has 12 or more goals this season."

Buoyed by the tying score, the Mustangs carried the play for the next few  minutes, but it didn't take long for the talented Wreckers to regroup.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Westporters cashed in with a textbook tally. Staples had a superb scoring opportunity broken up by Petroccio when the senior midfielder headed the ball, which was flying toward the net,  out of bounds.

However, the Wreckers' Mikey Scott threw in a perfect toss from the corner  and Steve Denowitz raced in to knock it home.

"That was a very nice play," Woog noted. "Denowitz got that score and it was  nice to see. He hasn't had a lot of goals in his career, so it was a good moment."

The Wreckers forced the play into the Mustangs zone for a good portion of the  remainder of the half. Staples'  best chances to score came on a corner by Gudis  and a crossing chance by Max Hoberman.

Still,  there was no quit in the Fairfielders. Wreckers' goaltender Connor  Walsh had to leap twice to make outstanding saves.

When the dust settled,  Staples survived and notched the opening- day win.

Walsh had four saves for the Wreckers , who notched 12 shots in the  game. Strachan made three saves for the Mustangs as his teammates managed six shots.

According to Ottavio,  experience helped his team in the strong showing.

"We've got 11 seniors and eight senior starters,  and that  camaraderie and togetherness really helps," he said.

Woog, on the other hand, wants to see more from his seniors.

"The seniors need  to take control of this team," he said. "They think it's 2009 but it's not, it's 2010."

Staples plays again on Thursday, visiting a talented Trumbull squad.