News

Timely Goals Propel New Canaan Girls Lax to Victory Over Wilton, 14-10

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Coming off its first loss of the season, New Canaan Girls Lacrosse looked to get back into the win column on Tuesday night at Wilton’s Kristine Lilly Field. And thanks to hat tricks from senior co-captains Catherine Granito and Sami Stewart, and crucial saves from freshman goalie Caroline O’Dea, the Rams (7-1, 5-0 FCIAC) defeated the Wilton Warriors (2-3, 1-2 FCIAC), 14-10, to remain undefeated in conference play. “We’re learning, and every game with a young team is a learning experience,” New Canaan head coach Kristin Woods told NewCanaanite.com. “I thought everyone came out tonight really focused, which was what we learned from Saturday where we had a first-half lapse when we went out to Long Island, and really didn’t show up ready to go. So we learned from that, and today we came out really on fire. They [Wilton] never had the lead; they only had us tied, briefly, 2-2.

News

Pick Up Your Sticks: 2016 New Canaan Rams Girls Lax Preview

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It’s that time of year, when sports once again are played outdoors. And the New Canaan Rams Girls Lacrosse team is eager to get back at it. Overall, the team’s 2015 season was considered a success, as several dominant efforts led to a final record of 19-4, capped off by a Class M state championship. Yet there were two games against arch-rival Darien that didn’t go the Rams way, including a heartbreaking, 13-12, triple-overtime, defeat to the Blue Wave for the 2015 FCIAC Championship, an instant classic. It’s not a memory that head coach Kristin Woods likes to relive.

News

Eight NCHS Seniors Sign Early Letters of Intent To Play Sports in College

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Five lacrosse players and three swimmers rounded out a group of New Canaan High School student-athletes who on Monday signed early Letters of Intent to play sports in college starting next year. What follows are photos from a signing ceremony overseen by NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan (also a parent of a signee on this day), held at in the auxiliary gym at New Canaan High School. We also asked each student about what went into their choice of college. (Harvard-bound senior David Strupp’s letter could be called a “likely letter” in that the university, though it offers no athletics scholarships per se, can issue an agreement signifying that it’s committed to admitting a recruited athlete.)

Samantha Stewart, U.S. Military Academy at West Point lacrosse, with parents Terri and Michael: “When I was little, I always heard stories from my family about West Point. I have a really big military background in my family. So I was always interested in going to the service academies.

Around Town

Darien Captures FCIAC Girls Lacrosse Crown in Triple-OT Thriller over New Canaan

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It was a matchup that pitted the top two teams in the FCIAC against one another: Darien and New Canaan, neighbors and rivals. The No. 2 seed Rams had upset on their mind from the very beginning and looked poised to claim another FCIAC championship for the program, and with under five minutes to play in the second half, New Canaan held a 10-7 lead. But the top-seeded Blue Wave refused to go quietly into the night. Not only did they fight back to tie the game at 10 and force overtime, but in the third OT, senior attacker Mariah Matheis netted the game-winner 1:14 into the period to propel Darien to victory, 13-12, while leaving New Canaan’s FCIAC championship aspirations one-goal shy.

News

New Canaan Girls Lax Falls Short Against Darien

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Just like any New Canaan and Darien matchup, there was buzz heading into Thursday night’s girls lacrosse contest. And with both teams coming into the showdown undefeated in FCIAC play (6-0), the buzz grew to a roar at an electric Dunning Stadium. In the end, it was the Blue Wave who made the most noise on the field. Led by junior midfielder Chandler Kirby’s three goals and a stretch of five straight goals between the end of the first and start of the second half, Darien took down the Rams 12-9. “The game plan was really to be disciplined,” New Canaan coach Kristin Woods told NewCanaanite.com. “They [Darien] have a spectacular team.