73°
Greenwich High boys soccer is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the FCIAC. After a bit of a slow start to the season, the Cardinals have won four in a row, leapfrogging Staples and Bridgeport Central to take first place in the FCIAC West Division. Greenwich's latest victim was Darien on Wednesday, holding on for an emotional 2-1 victory.
Junior midfielder Marino Patrk picked a great time to score his first goal of the season, breaking a 1-1 tie early in the second half. Patrk nailed a free kick from about 20 yards out, past the diving Darien goalie, to put the Cardinals on top for good.
"It was nice to break the ice to get a goal. It was getting frustrating being an attacking player and not getting one," Patrk said. "The streak helps build confidence for us. We still need to work on giving up goals late in the halves though."
Greenwich gave up a goal with just 2:08 to play in the first half, prompting a fiery halftime speech from head coach Kurt Putnam. Patrk said that allowing late goals has been the team's weakness this year. The Darien goal tied up the game after Frankie Agrest had staked the Cardinals out to an early lead. Greenwich almost let the game slip away late with some poor passing. But it denied Darien's best chance after a solid corner kick by Rupert Hansford was cleared after a scrum in front of the net.
"Kurt really came at us with his halftime speech, and it really motivated us to change our point of attack," Agrest said. "We just need to keep up this roll we're on through the rest of the season and into the postseason."
Greenwich now stands at 7-1-1 on the year, trailing only Norwalk for the best record in the FCIAC.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Greenwich and receive free news updates.
