By Andy Hutchison
WESTPORT–In recent years, Stapes and Darien have been the cream of the crop both in FCIAC and state field hockey–and the Wreckers expect to be in the mix of contenders once again.
Not that all of this success — including a pair of state titles and an FCIAC crown since 2023 — has been easy but this season, in particular, the Wreckers may have a little more work to do in order to reach a fifth consecutive FCIAC title game and fourth straight State Championship battle.
Staples returns a solid core but will have to overcome a season-ending ACL injury to standout midfielder Katie Larit. “That’s a big hole to fill,” Coach Ian Tapsall recognizes.
And there were some other notable voids left by graduates, including in the goal where sophomore Scarlett Shanon is slated to step in.
Darien and Greenwich (Staples’ season-opening opponent, away today at 4 p.m.) are always tough teams both in the conference and state, but there is a new nemesis in the mix, according to Tapsall.
“I think the team to watch this year is Fairfield Ludlowe. They’re going to be a team to contend with for sure,” Tapsall said.
That said, the Wreckers do expect to be a contender again this fall; Tapsall said he just needs to see how the pieces will fit together and is hopeful his squad can be in position to win it all both in the conference and state.
This year is certainly not a rebuilding campaign. That is not really a thing for a program that is traditionally in the top 25 in the national rankings. But the future does look especially bright.
“We’ve got the best freshman class I think we’ve ever had,” Tapsall noted. That includes a handful of players who stand to get starting/regular time the coach added.
Speaking of national rankings, Staples narrowly made the cut; the Wreckers are No. 25, nine spots behind Darien, which edged the Wreckers in penalty strokes to capture the FCIAC trophy last autumn before pulling out a 1-0 win over the Wreckers for the Class L title, in the Max Field Hockey National Team Rankings to begin this season.
The Wreckers are looking to prove the voters wrong this campaign, including at the Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pa. when they face No. 7 West Essex of Caldwell, N.J. and another strong team in Warwick of Lititz, Pa. during the annual in-season tourney Sept. 19-20. Then there is the doozy of a way to close out September as the Wreckers host Ludlowe Monday, Sept. 28 and entertain Darien Wednesday, Sept. 30 — both at 4 p.m.
The team will be led by senior captains, center midfielder Leah Larit, center forward Daisy Hackett, and center defender Audrey Ziegler. Other key players back in the fold include senior midfielder Emilie Russell, sophomore forward Ava Pattinson and sophomore defender Olivia Lambert.
The Wreckers, after the opener at GHS, will have their first home game Monday, Sept. 14 when Trumbull visits at 4 p.m.
Andy Hutchison
Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories, since the 1990s. He is the sports editor at the Newtown Bee. He writes for the Monroe Sun. He was director of communications and radio color commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey team. He has won numerous writing awards, including regional and national first-place honors.
Recent Comments