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During the last two games, Joslyn has been unstoppable in leading the Bears to Friday’s Class LL championship game against Fairfield Prep. Joslyn scored two goals in a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Newtown and added two more in a 2-1 win over Stamford.
In four games in the state tournament, Joslyn has six goals. He also scored a goal in Norwalk’s 5-1 win over Wilton in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference semifinals, helping the Bears to earn a share of the league title for the first time since 2002.
“It’s hard when you get into a long scoring drought,’’ said Joslyn, who has a team high 23 goals for the Bears (20-1-1). “I’ve definitely seen both sides of it. You just have to keep playing your game, don’t try to change anything. It will come eventually. Things rarely go your way in soccer. You just have to stay patient.”
Joslyn’s goal-scoring flurry could not have come at a better time for Norwalk, which is trying to win the state title for the first time since 1966. In the quarterfinal win over Newtown, Joslyn’s goal with three minutes remaining lifted the Bears. Joslyn’s game-winner against Stamford was nearly as dramatic, coming with 21 minutes left to snap a 1-1 tie.
“Last year, I scored the game-winning goal against Farmington, and a couple of times I’ve scored for Beachside (Premier) in State Cup games,’’ he said. “On this team it doesn’t matter who scores the goals. Whoever scores, scores.”
The Bears have been one of the top teams in the state, and Joslyn has been a key player for the past three years. But they have not made it to a state championship game and were knocked out in the first round of the league tournament in each of the past two years.
“It’s almost past frustration to the point of annoyance,’’ Joslyn said. “You can understand it happening one year, but two years in a row? It really makes you wonder. The mentality this year is just tremendous. We refuse to do anything less than win the state championship.”
Norwalk is led by a group of 13 seniors, many of whom will play in college. Norwalk’s only loss was to Wilton, 4-1, on Oct. 3. “The same thing happened last year when we lost during the regular season and went on a long winning streak,’’ Joslyn said. “It was a wakeup call for us. It stinks that we couldn’t keep an undefeated season going, but in hindsight it may have been good. It proved that we’re not indestructible.”
Only one hurdle remains for the Bears, the third-seeded Jesuits, who have knocked off two other FCIAC teams en route to the final. Joslyn expects another tight one. “I think it’s going to be a one goal game,’’ he said. “Nobody’s going to win by three or four goals. It’s going to come down to who finishes their chances. Each team is strong. It should be a tight game.”
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