Staples, Darien to Meet for Field Hockey State Championship

WATERTOWN, CT — Staples and Darien each entered the Class L field hockey tournament semifinals seeded lower than their opponents, but by evening's end, they had both demonstrated why the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference is arguably the strongest in Connecticut.

In a 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 Wethersfield High School. Gametime is scheduled for 10 a.m.

The league rivals tied 1-1 in a regular season matchup Oct. 13, then Staples captured a 2-1 win over the Blue Wave in the semifinals of the FCIAC tournament.

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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 credits: Tim Jensen