Noah Bender’s goal with just 58 seconds remaining in the match lifted the Staples boys soccer team to a 2-1 victory at Danbury tonight.
Jordan McNair (shown earlier this season) was a sparkplug for Staples tonight. He starred defensively, and was a potent force going forward. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Carl McNair for WestportNow.com
The strike –- off a perfect pass from Joe Greenwald –- gave the Wreckers a final regular season record of 10-4-2. That’s good for a sixth-place seed in the FCIAC tournament, which starts Friday. Staples faces either Greenwich or Ridgefield in the quarterfinals.
The Wreckers are shooting for their fifth consecutive appearance in the finals. They won it all in 2008, 2009 and 2010, before falling 2-0 to Trumbull in last year’s championship match.
Bender’s goal capped a great match for the Westporters. They snagged a 1-0 lead four minutes before halftime, when defender Andrew Puchala finished a corner kick from Diego Alanis.
The Hatters drew even just 40 seconds after halftime. It was a very even match, but the Staples late surge propelled them to victory.
“We’ve been victimized late a couple of times this year,” said head coach Dan Woog.S
“It feels great to be on the other side. More importantly, this gives us plenty of momentum and confidence heading into the post-season. I couldn’t be prouder of our guys.”
