By: Matthew Engler ’18
The Staples girl’s varsity soccer team took on St. Joe’s on Oct. 25 in the girls final game of the regular season. Staples has had a terrific season sitting in first place in FCIAC standings going into the game. The team already clinched bids to the FCIAC and state tournaments, and will likely have home field advantage in both.
The girls went on to tie the game 1-1 with Margo Von Der Ahe ’20 scoring Staples’ only goal. St. Joe’s equalized late in the game and with little time to spare the girls couldn’t edge out the win. The girls competed in a hard fought game with one of the top teams in the FCIAC. Defender Annie Amacker ’19 is confident that the team will be ready for the postseason. “After our game today, we are going into FCIACs and states with big expectations. This year’s team has a lot of talent both on the field and on the bench, and we have a chance to win it all,” she said.
This year’s team has showcased many talented players across several grades. The team this year only consists of one freshman, which has not been the case in the past With this season showing large potential for success the girls may have a chance at accomplishing what they’ve been missing for the past three years.
The past few years have been met with ups and downs for the program. Last year’s team, even with several committed division one players, failed to progress far in the state and FCIAC tournaments. However, there are players with championship experience on this roster.
Captain Sally Mcgee ’18 was on the 2014 FCIAC winning team and understands what it means to win at the varsity level. “Having been on an FCIAC winning team my freshman year, I see potential in our team for winning another this year. We have the same drive, chemistry, focus, talent and passion necessary to get the job done and come out on top,” Mcgee said.
The girls are off to a promising start in the FCIAC tournament and look to continue their season-long dominance when they play Ridgefield in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1.