By Cooper Boardman ’17

On Oct. 31, 2015, 39 seconds after Norwalk’s Marissa Mastrianni deflected a loose ball past Staples’ goalie Jodie Baris, the Wreckers trudged off Testa Field with their FCIAC season over, thanks to a 1-0 loss in the final minute, a horrifying result on a frigid Halloween morning.

That day, as Norwalk celebrated in front of its home crowd, Staples’ field hockey head coach Ian Tapsall stood motionless on the sideline, watching the mob scene.

“It’s mind-numbing,” he said.

Three-hundred and sixty two days later, the Staples Wreckers are not only back in the FCIAC playoffs—they are back with a vengeance.

After going 10-6-1 in 2015, the Wreckers posted a regular season record of 12-0-2 in 2016. The numbers are staggering: they have outscored opponents 70-2, notched 12 shutouts and won seven games by five goals or more.

It’s been the kind of season where even opponents have taken notice; after Staples scored a goal in its 14-0 rout of St. Joseph for its sixth victory, an opposing parent simply whistled and muttered the word “mercy” in bewilderment.

It has been a fourteen-game performance underscored and explained by a single word: dominance. Tapsall believes this stems from the team’s chemistry. “The entire group is so fit and so united,” he said.

The Wreckers captured their first FCIAC divisional title since 2014 as the top team in the FCIAC West and enter the league playoffs attempting to reach the championship game for the first time since 2011, a victory over Wilton. The FCIAC race is the deepest in the state, with Wilton, Darien and Norwalk all ranked in the top 10 in Class LL, and an FCIAC finalist has reached the state championship in each of the last four seasons.

Nonetheless, Staples was one of just two teams that escaped the FCIAC gauntlet unscathed with an undefeated record in league play. If the team’s regular season performance is any indication, it will contend for an FCIAC title.