Under the lights on a crisp, chilly autumn evening, the Staples boys’ soccer team fell just short of spoiling Fairfield Warde’s undefeated record in a 1-0 loss on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The game was very physical, aggressive and fast-paced with lots of fouls and free kicks. The Mustangs scored the only goal of the game with 10 minutes left in the first half off of a penalty kick after a Warde player was taken down inside the 18-yard-box during a free kick.

Possession was relatively even with solid defense by both teams and lots of scoring opportunities. After the game, Staples assistant coach Kurt Dasbach emphasized that the Wreckers allowed Warde to control the pace too much.

“We let Fairfield Warde dictate too much of the game,” Dasbach said. “They came at us at 100 miles an hour and we aren’t the type of team that plays at 100 miles an hour […] they knocked us out of our rhythm and it cost us the game.”

The Wreckers had numerous opportunities to score off of setpieces, but weren’t able to capitalize on these chances. A free kick at the end of the first half by Patricio Perez Elorza ’20 leaned just wide left of the goal and Staples earned multiple corner kicks throughout the second half but couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. Another free kick opportunity for the Wreckers at the end of the game sailed just over the net.

While the loss was very disappointing for the Staples players, it does provide a chance for the team to learn from their mistakes and become even stronger as they look towards the rest of the season.

“Nothing is ours and we need to earn everything,” co-captain Surya Balaji ’21 said. “That starts by playing at our high level for the whole match.”

The boys will play Greenwich at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 4:00 p.m. as they look to get back on track and improve their record to 4-2-1.