The 6th ranked Wreckers faced number 3 Wilton at Wilton High on Thursday night in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament match, and although the Staples girls fought hard until the final seconds, they were defeated by the score of 17-3.  In a physical game Wilton was able to build a big lead at the half holding the Wreckers to only a single goal.

Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com  Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

Despite the lead the girls on the field were loudly cheered on the entire second half from the sidelines and although the final result was not in their favor, one of the girls was overheard at the game's conclusion saying "we won in our hearts".

The team's attitude and demeanor was exemplary in the face of a lop-sided scoreboard result as evidenced in our post-game team photo below.

Scoring for Staples included two goals by #3 Senior Captain Jaden Mello and a third by #1 Junior Keira Best who added an assist. Goalkeeper Alice Anderson made 10 saves. Sophomore #17 Katie Fitzgerald played a strong game controlling the draw 5 times and causing 2 turnovers.

The Wreckers' coach Nicole Gerosa said, "our focus now turns to setting new team goals and preparing for the CIAC State Tournament" which begins on Friday May 25th with a qualifying round at the higher seed where Staples, with a 6-9 record in regular season play, is ranked #12 in the latest CIAC rankings.

Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com  Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.