By By David Fierro
Starting strong, then finishing with a flurry enabled the Greenwich High School boys soccer team to add another impressive win to its ledger when Staples visited Cardinal Stadium on Wednesday,
The Cardinals scored nine seconds into the first half on its way to taking a three-goal halftime lead, before the Wreckers rallied to tally twice, cutting the Cards’ lead to just one goal.
However, Greenwich had the type of response coach Kurt Putnam was hoping for. Regaining the momentum, the Cardinals recorded two consecutive goals during a pivotal three-minute spa, then added a tally late to earn a solid 6-3 victory over the rival Wreckers Wednesday at Cardinal Stadium.
The win improved Greenwich’s record to 5-0. The Cardinals, who have also defeated Fairfield Ludlowe, St. Joseph, Wilton and Bridgeport Central, have outscored the opposition, 20-4, through their first five games. After the first 40 minutes of action Wednesday, the Cards were on top of Staples, 3-0. Greenwich is in action again on Saturday (Sept. 21) at Trumbull at 12 p.m.
“It was a really good first half, I thought the offense was working really well,” said Putnam, whose Cardinals advanced to both the FCIAC Tournament semifinals and CIAC Class LL Tournament semifinals one season ago. “At halftime we had a team talk, let’s not let up, start strong like we finished. Then it seemed like a series of not pressing, not making good tackles, players getting turned too easy and then two times where the goalkeeper got shielded by one of our defenders and the kid bent two around the defender.”
Putnam was pleased with the resolve his squad exhibited against their longtime rival.
“Take nothing away – too good finishes,” Putnam continued. “What I liked from the team was how we came back. It was a real wake-up call, we could have folded. You’re 3-nil up and then you go 3-2, teams can easily implode a little bit and start panicking. But we didn’t, what was nice was that we still tried to play our game and we got the fourth, got the fifth, got the sixth.”
Matthew Maloney, a senior midfielder/captain had another standout game for GHS, tallying one goal with three assists.
“Obviously, it was good to get back at them, they beat us last year,” Maloney said. “In the first half, we scored in the first 10 seconds of the game, that was good. It gave us an energy boost and I think the offense clicked for the rest of the game.”
Also pacing Greenwich’s offense was Guilherme Rizzo, who registered two goals.
“We have a lot of speed on the team, so we were able to finish our chances and we didn’t waste much,” Rizzo said.
The Cardinals wasted little time in setting the tone of this early-season FCIAC matchup. Junior Francisco Luzuriaga’s unassisted goal in the first minute – 51 seconds into the game – gave GHS a 1-0 lead.
Maloney’s header found the foot of senior Santiago Lattuada, who directed a shot past Staples goalie Christian Rinaldi following an injury timeout, putting Greenwich on top, 2-0, in the 17th minute.
In the 35th minute, Maloney struck, converting a shot from five yards out after receiving a pass from Lattuada, making it 3-0.
“It was a great ball and I just tapped it in, in front of the net,” Maloney said of his goal.
Staples created a couple of chances early on, but the Cardinals’ backline stood strong, while its athletes up front – senior Micah Kim, Lattuada, Maloney, Luzuriaga and senior Pietro Carvalho propelled the offense.
Staples’ best moments came early in the second half, courtesy of Zachary Gorin, who scored both of his squad’s goals. His first goal came 36 seconds into the second half, as he angled a shot from more than 10 yards past GHS junior goalie James Buck inside the right post, making it 3-1.
With 36:28 remaining in the second half, Gorin scored another unassisted goal, this time bending a shot that found its way inside the left post, cutting Greenwich’s edge to 3-2.
“It’s pure ability and having faith on the ball, that’s what we want and that’s what we expect,” Staples coach Russell Oost-Lievense said of his squad’s solid second-half start. “We could have 100 percent gotten back into it. It’s just a matter of individual things and needing to be collectively better.”
Carvalho scored off a Maloney pass in the 51st minute, then Rizzo notched his first goal in the 54th minute. Rizzo sealed the scoring off a Maloney assist in the 67th minute, resulting in Greenwich’s sixth goal. Staples’ third goal came in the final second of play from Brendan Allen.”
“After the first one they got some energy, but it was just a matter of us staying composed and staying on our game plan and executing,” Maloney noted.
“We got scored on twice pretty early and they cut it down to one,” Rizzo added. “So, that fourth goal was pretty important, because we had to seal that win and they had a lot of momentum. They scored two really nice goals, there’s not much you can do about those.”
Junior goalie James Buck made several key saves for Greenwich, which received strong defensive play throughout.
“Despite those two goals, the defense played really well,” Putnam said. “I liked the setup. We played offensively much better. We are creating chances and giving teams problems.”
“Overall, it’s a positive day and it’s always nice to get one over Staples,” Putnam noted.
Greenwich hopes to add to its win total when it faces Trumbull on Saturday.
“It’s looking great,” Maloney said of the season thus far. “The goal is a state championship and you have to win all the games you can to get that victory.”
