By David Fierro
Two games, two shutout victories.
That’s exactly how the season has begun for the Greenwich High School boys soccer team, which seems primed to once again contend for both the FCIAC and state tournament championships.
After opening its 2024 season with a shutout win against Fairfield Ludlowe at home on September 4, Greenwich hosted St. Joseph on Friday and cruised to a 5-0 victory behind a hat trick from Pietro Carvalho. The Cardinals are coming off a successful 2023 season that saw them advance to the FCIAC Tournament semifinals and the semifinal-round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament. They posted a record of 15-4-2 one season ago and with a lot of options offensively and a strong group of defenders, the Cardinals should once again, be one of the premier squads in the state.
“If we can get our game going offensively, I think we have the potential to give teams problems,” said Greenwich veteran head coach Kurt Putnam, who is assisted by Ray Marschall. “We have players coming back off injuries and they will only add more potency to the front line. We have a lot of competition going on now in the midfield and up front. We should only keep getting better.”
Putnam guided the Cardinals to the CIAC Class LL Tournament championship in 2022, the second state title in the boys soccer program’s history. Greenwich’s impressive soccer tradition includes eight FCIAC Tournament titles. In the Cardinals’ season-opening game against FCIAC foe Fairfield Ludlowe, they registered a 2-0 triumph. Friday, they scored three times in the first half to seize control against visiting St. Joseph.
“I think it was a little more improved than Ludlowe,” Putnam said of the team’s performance against St. Joe. “We had a lot of possession against Ludlowe but didn’t have the cutting edge I was hoping for. I thought overall, we moved the ball quite well (against St. Joe). I think they’re an improved St. Joe’s team as well.”
Carvalho, a senior, scored the game’s first goal, tallying off a pass from senior Micah Kim five minutes into the first half, giving GHS a 1-0 lead on the Cadets.
“I saw a shot, I had to follow through and I found my opportunity and I put it away,” Carvalho said of his first goal.
In the 26th minute, Carvalho struck again, this time scoring off an assist from junior Francisco Luzuriaga, putting the Cards on top, 2-0.
“God gave it to me, it was a lucky slide tackle and the ball came right to my feet and again, I put it away in front of the goal,” Carvalho said.
Carvalho completed his hat trick in the first half. Scoring in the 34th minute off a through ball delivered by senior midfielder/captain Matthew Maloney, he gave the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage on the Cadets.
“To complete it I found the through ball, made the run, took on the goalkeeper and put it away again,” Carvalho said of his third goal. “You can’t miss out on those opportunities. Those are the decisions that can make or break the game.”
Said Putnam of Pietro’s scoring surge: “He’s done his job. I asked the starting team to go out there and try to get the job done. Give St. Joe’s credit, they were hanging in there for quite a while.”
Senior Thomas Tischler tallied in the 69th minute, then senior Eduardo Araujo converted a shot from approximately 20 yards in the 77th minute to seal the game’s scoring for Greenwich versus St. Joseph.
“I think we played a very good game against Ludlowe,” Maloney said. “We have been working on our attack game and in that game, it elevated to the next level. Today (against St. Joseph) we dominated the entire half, so it was a good showing for us.”
Maloney will also serve as one of the captains of Greenwich’s boys basketball team in the winter. He knows the Cardinals take the soccer field each game with plenty of potential.
“Our goal is to win another state championship, we fell a little short last year,” Maloney noted. “We made it to the semifinals of the FCIAC Tournament and the state tournament. I think we have the pieces to win another state championship this year.”
Senior captain and goalie Miguel Leon earned the shutout win in goal against St. Joseph.
“The team has come together the last two games,” Leon said. “We have a bunch of very talented players, I think there are eight players on the team from when we won states a couple of years ago. I think we know what it feels like to win.”
Like Maloney, Leon works hard in his role as team captain.
“It feels great to be a captain,” he said. “It feels good to be able to tell people how they are doing and being able to meet everyone on the team as well.”
Through the first two games of the season, Greenwich has outscored the opposition 7-0.
“I thought we played well, I thought we started off a little slow, but we just needed a little more intensity,” Carvalho said. “And after the first one, everybody locked in and we were able to get a couple more.”
“We are finding out what’s working for us, we’re building team spirit, we’re building chemistry, we’re working well together and we’re doing well,” Carvalho continued.
Greenwich visits Wilton on Tuesday, then travels to Bridgeport Central on Thursday. The Cards host New Canaan on Sept. 16, before traveling to rival Staples on Sept. 18 and Trumbull, another conference rival on Sept. 21.
“We have a lot of competition going on now in the midfield and up front,” Putnam said. “We should only keep getting better. Staples and Trumbull will be the first good litmus test for us to see where we’re at.”
