Top Seed Glastonbury Ends Cinderella Run Of Staples Girls Soccer

Many of the players on the Staples' girls soccer team were crying, but the Wreckers had nothing to be ashamed about.

They came within 15 minutes of upsetting top-seed Glastonbury on Saturday at Ken Strong Stadium before their Cinderella run through the Class LL state tournament ended with a 2-1 loss to the Tomahawks on penalty kicks.

"I think the girls gave everything they had," said Staples coach Nicole Ross, whose 20th-seeded team reached the semifinals after not even making the FCIAC playoffs.

"It's really tough to keep their heads up and keep them positive because obviously they're upset at this point. But they gave everything that they could and I'm so proud of them for making it to this point."

While Glastonbury (16-0-2) won the penalty kicks 3-1 to advance to next weekend's final against Trumbull, the Wreckers finished their season at 11-6-3. They defeated last year's state champion (Shelton) and runner-up (Westhill) to reach the final four.

"Hats off to Staples," Glastonbury coach Joe Finocchiaro said. "I thought they were a fabulous team. They played us all the way to the end, a great run for Staples."

After a scoreless first half, the Wreckers grabbed the lead when Abbey Lake blasted a rocket inside the bottom left corner with 23:50 remaining in regulation.

However, the Tomahawks tied it with 14:39 remaining when Kayla Orozco's chip shot from 25 yards barely eluded the reach of Staples goalkeeper Jessie Ambrose, who was spectacular in net with 11 saves.

Orozco returned to the field late in the first half after being helped off with an apparent knee injury less than 10 minutes into the contest.

Staples, which won its only state title in 1989, was looking to reach its first final since 1995. The Wreckers also lost to Glastonbury 2-0 in the second round in 2009.

"I think it's amazing what we did," Lake said. "We fought to the end. I think we fought with all of our heart and I think honestly we probably could have beaten this team.  It was a fair game. I think it went into overtime and penalty kicks because we were equal teams and it was anyone's game."

After a quiet first overtime, the Tomahawks pressed for the winner in the second extra 10-minute period with three excellent scoring changes. Less than a minute in, Ambrose punched Eren Cosgel's blast over the crossbar. Then with 4:17 remaining, she got a hand on Liza Otto's dive to deflect it wide.

"Their goalie made two or three unbelievable saves in that overtime," Finocchiaro said. "She did a fabulous job. She was tough to beat all night."

In the second round, the Wreckers advanced after defeating Shelton 14-11 in four rounds of penalty kicks, but they weren't as successful Saturday.

McKenzie Hollenbaugh and Orozco converted Glastonbury's first two attempts, scoring low to the left side.

Staples' Ali Crofts and Alex Wiener went wide with their attempts, leaving Glastonbury with a 2-0 lead after two sets of kicks.

After Grace Twardy made it three-for-three for Glastonbury, Abby Fagan kept the Wreckers alive as her shot hit the right post and caromed into the net.

Glastonbury's Melissa Andrade gave Staples a chance when her attempt carried over the crossbar.

Next up for Staples was freshman Megan Root, who was looking extend the penalty kicks. She struck a good ball that seemed headed for the back of the net, but it hit the middle of the crossbar and stayed out.

And just like that, the Wreckers' season was over.

"We didn't give up easy," Ross said. "We didn't let them come out here and kill us in that game."