In the second round of the State tournament, the Staples girls’ soccer dominated their opposition with a striking victory of six to one, and booked their spot in the quarterfinals.
While the team achieved their victory in a convincing manner, early in the game they found themselves tied, one to one. After Staples scored the first goal, Hall quickly replied back, leaving both teams tied and determined to go in front. However, Staples was able to strike back and score five more goals, eventually taking control of the game.
“We scored the first goal, but then it evened out,” Crombie said. “We had that moment where we really needed to pull it together and we couldn’t let up any more goals. We really needed to start pushing forward.”
The team prepared for the game by having a strong practice beforehand, and going to a pasta dinner. They also reviewed the mannerisms of how the team played, and then adjusted their playing style a bit so they could be prepared to face the team.
“Barry, our coach, had scouted out the team ahead of time; he watched one of their games and he saw how they played,” Coco Crombie ’24 said. “He told us how they played, a more possession type of style, so that we could be prepared and have the right mindset going in.”
With their victory on Wednesday, Staples goes on to face Greenwich. For the Wreckers, Greenwich is predicted to pose a unique matchup with quality that should make the game a close competition.
“They’re not a team to be dismissed,” Crombie said. “They have a couple of really fast technical players. And you know, most of the time in high school soccer, teens will just boot [the ball] up, but they actually have the talents and foresight to possess. So it’ll be an interesting game to watch.”
If Staples beats Greenwich, and St.Joseph’s beats Ridgefield, Staples will face St.Joseph’s shortly after falling to them in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) final last week.
“If we won, we would most likely play St. Joe’s. And that would actually be a really interesting game,” Crombie said. “The game before [the last] we tied and there was like red cards, yellow cards, it was a crazy game. So if we advance, that will be one of the craziest games of the season, I’m sure.”
