Postseason and Other Musings
A few thoughts from Friday’s games:
— Everyone should know by now that seedings in the state playoffs can be misleading and the word “upset” is overused. Teams with more losses playing in strong leagues are often more formidable than others with better records from weaker leagues.
So no one should be surprised by the Stamford High School field hockey team’s current run into the semifinals of the Class L Tournament after its 2-1 overtime win over Pomperaug. Half of their six losses can directly be attributed to one of the Black Knights’ key players, Madi McLaughlin, suffering a mideseason knee injury and the two-game suspensions handed to two starters at the end of the regular season.
Stamford, the 13th seed, is the defending state champion, and after some ups and downs it is now operating at top form, and while the rest of the road will be difficult, starting with a semifinal game against top-seeded Glastonbury, there is no reason the Black Knights cannot repeat.
It was especially fitting that center midfielder Laura Dembofsky scored the winning goal Friday. She is no stranger to the dramatic, having scored the clinching goal in last year’s championship game. She had been frustrated the past few weeks by her inability to finish plays. For the second straight year she came through in the clutch.
— The Staples boys soccer team played a near-perfect game in its 5-0 quarterfinal dismantling of E.O. Smith, The Wreckers are young, and after winning the FCIAC title it would not have been surprising if they suffered a letdown in the state playoffs.
But the team’s inexperience is actually an asset. The players don’t seem to realize how skilled they are and, more importantly, are totally impervious to pressure.
That is a pretty good combination as the Wreckers prepare to meet Glastonbury in the semifinals in what continues to be a special 50th year anniversary celebration for the program.
— The Westhill High School football team is a perfect candidate for a psychiatrist’s couch. The Vikings have a lot of talent, but they are also maddeningly inconsistent. They went from 0-2 and looking at a miserable season, to 4-2 and the prospects of their first winning record in over two decades, now to 4-5 following their third straight loss, 25-14 to Trumbull.
The Vikings played well enough to win in stretches and poorly enough to lose in others. Now the trick will be trying to salvage their year by at least splitting their two remaining games. It won’t be easy: they have to play Greenwich and Stamford.