At the start of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference boys soccer tournament, few teams in the league were playing better than Fairfield Warde. The Mustangs continued that roll through the first two games of the tournament.
The Mustangs (12-3-3) won their eighth straight game Monday night with a decisive 3-0 victory over New Canaan at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Warde will play Staples in Wednesday's championship game at 7 p.m. at Norwalk High School.
"They had a mission they wanted to accomplish and they did it,'' Warde coach Justin Ottavio said. "They wanted to be the first team from Fairfield to play in the FCIAC final since 2001, and they did it."
Warde won the FCIAC's East Division in 2008, then fell in the playoffs on a goal with 3 seconds left. Ottavio said Monday's win helped ease that sting.
Jason Correia scored in the 16th minute to give Warde a 1-0 lead. Guthrie Carpenter made it 2-0 with a goal just 1:47 before halftime. Kevin Petroccio carried deep into New Canaan territory and sent a terrific cross to Carpenter in front of the New Canaan net. Guthrie's header easily beat goalie Scott Levene. "Kevin made a great play, and I was just in the right place in the right time,'' Carpenter said.
Ross Anderson scored late in the game to ice it for Warde. Fairfield, which was then one school, shared the league title with Greenwich in 1999. The Mustangs can win the school's first title with a win over Staples on Wednesday.
"We've been waiting for this since we started high school," Carpenter said. "Playing in the FCIAC final, that's all we ever dreamed of."
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
