With half of the fall season in the books, we look back on the success of some of our fall teams.

Girls’ Volleyball:

Following a highly successful 2013 campaign in which the team was the runner-up in the Class LL State Championship, the Staples girls’ volleyball team is hoping to advance, once again, to FCIACs and the State Championship on Nov. 15.

After losing star player Amelia Brackett ’14, the team has encountered many changes this year.

“We’re still trying to adjust and get our dynamic down, but it’s been a really fun season for our team so far,” Kendall Rochin ’15 said.

With title hopes hanging in the balance at a record of 5-7 as of Oct. 2, the team enters a crucial end of the season stretch tonight at Bridgeport Central High School at 4:00 p.m.

Field Hockey:

With a record of 5-0-0-1, the Staples field hockey team has the potential to go deep into the season as championship contenders.

“The whole team has come together so well on the field and off. It is so exciting to go into the season knowing the potential we have to go far,” captain Elizabeth Bennewitz ’15 said.

In first place in the FCIAC, the team has five games to go in the regular season before starting postseason play.

A championship is the ultimate goal.

“The way we are playing, that is definitely possible,” Bennewitz added.

 Football:

Trying to improve upon last year’s 8-3 record. The Staples football team has held a 3-2 record through the opening stages of the season, with seven games to play.

After a disappointing 3-0 loss in the first game of the season to Xavier High School on Sept. 12, Staples had to overcome adversity in the opening portion of the season.

“We still played very hard against them and never let up,” linemen Jackson Ward ’16 said.

Staples is currently 2-1 in the FCIAC, setting them up for a possible FCIAC Championship match up on Dec. 12 or 13.

Boys’ Soccer:

The Staples boys’ soccer team has also had to overcome adversity in the opening stages of the season, after an injury to tri-captain Andrew Puchala ’15.

Head coach Dan Woog cited the emergence of Josh Berman ’17, who scored a game-tying goal in a Sept. 16 match against Danbury, and Kenji Goto ’16 as key contributors after the injury.

“There’s a lot to learn and fortunately they are very quick learners,” Woog said.

Staples will look to improve upon their current 4-2-2 record this afternoon at Fairfield Ludlowe at 3:45 p.m and ultimately capture a championship.

“[Our goal is to] win the last game of the season. It’s the state championship, and our goal is to win that match,” Woog said.

Cross Country:

The Staples boys’ and girls’ cross country teams have ran out of the gate with impressive records to start the season. The boys’ team is currently undefeated with a record of 15-0, while the girls’ team holds a 14-1 record.

The team’s conditioning and training has made a huge impact this year.

“[We] have done a lot of off-season training and it seems to really be paying off, Brian MacCordy ’17 said. “Everyday people are consistently in putting in the work.”

Both teams will continue their season tomorrow at the Wickham Park Invitational in Manchester, Connecticut, and then at the FCIAC Championships Oct. 16.

Girls’ Soccer:

Girls’ soccer boasts an impressive 7-1-1 record with just four games remaining in the regular season.

“The team works well together on the field and [we] have great team chemistry. Every game we give it our all,” captain Lauren Garcia ’15 said.

The team expects to bounce back from an 8-8 regular season in 2013.

“We all worked hard last year but we had some bad luck with a few games, but we definitely had the potential to go far. Hopefully this year we redeem ourselves, and I believe we can,” Garcia added.

With an array of new talent, the girls’ soccer team is prone for success going into a playoff stretch.