Doug Reilly
Senior Editor
Could there have been a better storyline heading into Monday afternoon’s boys soccer game at Darien High School? 3-0 victories last Friday by both Darien and New Canaan set up a CIAC second round matchup between the two archrivals. Darien, the fifth seed in the state playoffs, played host to the 12th seeded Rams, a rematch of the October 10th regular season game where the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw.
Being an elimination game, a draw was not an option. The winner would move on to the CIAC Class L Quarterfinals against fifth seeded Bunnell, while the loser’s season would be over, with nothing to show for it. Unfortunately for the Rams, an early penalty kick goal by Darien’s Brennan Branca, only score of the game, sent the Rams home with a 1-0 loss.
With emotions running high entering the game, both teams were eager to get on the scoreboard first. In just the 12th minute of the game, a Darien cross deep in the New Canaan zone appeared to hit sophomore Alex Robey in the upper arm, above his elbow. The referee’s saw it differently, calling it a handball. Because the foul occurred inside the Rams’ box, Darien was awarded a penalty kick. Brennan Branca took the penalty for the Blue Wave, beating junior goalkeeper Scott Levene, netting Darien’s first and only goal of the game.
The Rams hung tough for the remainder of the first half, putting the pressure on Darien’s defense and goalkeeper, Jack Fisher. They could not sneak one by Fisher and the score remained 1-0 at the end of the half. Despite trailing at the break, the Rams seemed to control play overall in the first forty minutes.
The second half of play was somewhat of the same story, with the Rams controlling possession and putting pressure on the Blue Wave defense. Juniors Keith Griffin and Steven Valente, seniors Ben Granath and Charlie Pickhardt, as well as captains Jon-Luke Ferrandino and Tim Pritchard were constantly found on Darien’s half of the field, looking for the equalizer. Though the Rams dominated possession, the Blue Wave made a couple deep runs down the field, but Scott Levene was up to the challenge, making five saves on the afternoon.
Midway through the second half, seeking more offensive production, New Canaan head coach Victor Sanchez switched senior Tom Carey from defense to forward. The Darien defense made life difficult for the Rams’ midfielders and forwards, keeping them from getting clean shots off. When a clean shot was fired on net, however, Fisher stood strong, accounting for 11 saves in the game.
The final minutes ticked away and the Rams couldn’t net an equalizing goal, giving the Darien Blue Wave a 1-0 victory. Darien, the lone FCIAC team left in the Class L bracket, will travel to Bunnell High School on Wednesday November 16th, to try and upset the 4th seeded Bunnell Bulldogs. The Rams’ run in defense of their 2010 CIAC Championship came to an end, and they closed the season with an overall record of 10-5-4.
