It wasn't quite as easy as Thursday's first-round victory, but the Rams still had little trouble moving on in the Class M state tournament Saturday afternoon. After a somewhat slow start, No. 3 New Canaan rode a balanced attack and strong defense to defeat No. 11 Daniel Hand, 10-5.
The Rams struggled to find the net for the early portions of the first quarter. Hand scored first, putting New Canaan in a 1-0 hole until Cody Newton broke the Rams drought with the equalizer 6 1/2 minutes into the game. The Rams would follow with four more unanswered goals before halftime, giving them a four-point lead that the Tigers would not be able to overcome.
The Rams would build their advantage slowly over the second half, eventually leading by as many as seven goals in the fourth quarter. A late surge by Hand closed the gap to five, but it proved to be not enough to stop New Canaan from moving on to the state semifinals.
Newton led the way for the Rams offensively, as his two goals made him the only New Canaan player with multiple scores. But the story for the team's offense was its depth, with eight other players contributing a goal apiece: Joe Costigan, Henry Eschricht, Oliver Norton, Joe Kahmann, Sam Stanton, Peter Kraus, Scott O'Brien and John Brainard. Kevin Carey led the Rams' stellar defensive effort, stopping six shots in goal.
Next up for the Rams is No. 2 Darien, which advanced to the semifinals by beating Wilton 10-9 at home. The matchup will take place Tuesday evening at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
