After a long seven years, Staples boys’ soccer finds themselves back in the FCIAC final after they defeated the Stamford Black Knights 1-0 on Thursday.
Brendan Allen ’26 scored the deciding goal in the 27th minute following a scramble for the ball from a long throw after Stamford’s goalkeeper failed to clear it from the box.
“In practice, we’ve been working on, just flick on throw-ins. We know that the keeper likes to come out, and that’s dangerous for them”, Brendan Allen ’26 said. “We were able to get a flick on. The keeper was unable to keep the ball and came off the line, and I was just there to touch it.”
Much of the first half went Staples’ way as they controlled possession, won aerial duels, and didn’t allow Stamford to have any real opportunities with their pressuring defense.
The second half was looking to be a completely different story, however, as five minutes in Staples were called for a penalty after a big collision between goalkeeper Jack D’Amore ’27 and a Stamford player in the box. The collision caused D’Amore to not be allowed to stay in for the penalty.
Despite this, the backup goalkeeper Zach Delman ’28 stepped in and the Stamford player skied the ball over the post, keeping the lead and the clean sheet alive.
“Anyone that comes off the bench knows that they have a job to do, and they’re gonna perform their job to the best of their abilities. I think Delman came off the bench and knew what to do” Allen ’26 said.
After a few more missed chances by Stamford and a stellar defensive performance from the Wreckers’ back line, the final whistle blew and guaranteed Staples’ spot in the final.
Two of the captains, winger Gabe Duque ’26 and fullback Gabe Hellman ’26 were standouts, creating a lot of problems for Stamford with their intense defending.
“Gabe, Spencer, Carpi, Shack, all of them and Emmett coming off the bench they all come out with the same intensity and they come out to win the game,” Duque ’26 said. “Everyone on this team are athletes, they’re all fighters, so when they see any 50/50 balls they’re fighting to win.”
For Staples, the focus now turns to preparing for the final where they will get a rematch with Greenwich, who they lost to in the regular season in a thrilling 4-3 match. The final will be held at Fairfield Warde High School on Oct. 27.
“Everything else is in the back of our mind except this game and winning this championship” Duque ’26 said.
