WESTPORT — Fairfield Ludlowe’s boys soccer team made the short trip to Wakeman Field on Tuesday, with a sparkling 7-1-1 record.

The only blemishes were an opening day 2-0 loss to Greenwich, and a 0-0 draw with Fairfield Warde last week.

But Staples — which fell 1-0 to Warde the game after that intra-town derby — matched the visiting Falcons up and down the turf.

And outscored them.

An opportunistic 71st-minute goal was the difference in the hard-fought, evenly played match.

The Wreckers’ 1-0 victory raises their record to 6-4-0, and sets the stage for Saturday’s noon clash in Trumbull. The Eagles are 5-2-3.

Staples’ score began with one of their many corner kicks. Some had been dangerous, but the Ludlowe defense had been equal to the task.

This time, Zach Gorin’s in-swinger into a crowd was particularly hard to handle. Under pressure from Brendan Allen, the keeper — sure-handed and confident all game long — was right on his line, and dropped the ball into the net.

That sparked the hosts. The Falcons resorted to long balls. But Cormac Mulvey, Alex Kuster and Dylan Shackelford led the Wreckers’ defense. Will Murray dug out balls at midfield. Jonny Costello applied pressure up front.

Ludlowe had started the game by dictating the tempo, preventing Staples from settling balls, while playing a very direct-to-goal style.

But Staples was not deterred. Josh Whitaker and Gabe Duque worked the sidelines smartly. Adrian Rodriguez pressed up top. Gorin and Murray spread out the field. Keeper Jack D’Amore came through big in the first half, saving a breakaway, then tipping away the rebound.

And Staples did something only one other team had done all season: They took three points from Ludlowe.