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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. The Fairfield County girls' varsity soccer season enters its final two weeks with far more questions than answers to its conference playoff picture.
The teams in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference seem to be evenly matched every season, but this year has taken that parity to another level. Currently, nine teams are separated by just seven points while fighting for eight conference playoff spots.
With only four or five games to go for each team, these final two weeks will decide everything.
A young Fairfield Warde squad has surprised many in the league this season, sitting atop the conference standings with 26 points. Mustangs' goalkeeper Katie Brennan has been a big part of that surge to the top with an impressive 10 shutouts this year.
Warde plays three games this week, including tough tests against Wilton and Westhill. The Mustangs grabbed a big tie-breaker advantage with a win against second-place Trumbull last Thursday.
Defending conference champion Greenwich grabbed a crucial point Saturday in a draw with Wilton. The tie gave the Cardinals sole possession of the third seed entering the final push thanks to a tie-breaker advantage against St. Joseph of Trumbull.
Greenwich will have the opportunity to jump into at least second place when the Cardinals host Trumbull High Wednesday. Greenwich trails the Golden Eagles by just one point in the standings.
Ridgefield and New Canaan sit in the middle of the pack with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Their conference playoff fate might be determined in their season finale when the two teams face off against each other Oct. 25.
Westhill and Fairfield Ludlowe currently occupy the final two conference playoff spots with 20 points each. Westhill has the tiebreaker advantage, having defeated the Falcons last week. The Vikings have the hardest road to the postseason, however, taking on Ridgefield, Staples, Fairfield Warde and Greenwich in their next four games.
Lurking right outside the top eight is Wilton, which is just one point behind the final two qualifiers. The Warriors have a great opportunity to make up some ground on its opponents, however, with three of its final five games coming against teams with two or fewer wins.
No matter how the qualifying teams finish in the playoff standings, it seems just about any school has a great chance to win the conference title.
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