Page 215 - WHS FH 2014

Thursday, November 6, 2014 © Hersam Acorn Newspapers

Wilton Rolls into Class M Semifinals

By J. B. Cozens

After battling Joel Barlow to a scoreless halftime tie, the Wilton High field hockey team knew it had to raise its
play in the second half if it wanted its season to go on. The top-seeded Warriors wasted no time after the
intermission, scoring just over two minutes into the second half and then holding off a very solid, young Barlow
squad, 2-0, in the Class M state quarterfinals at home.

The three-time defending state champs improved to 16-3-1-0 and advanced to the Class M semifinals, where
they will play fourth-seeded Lauralton Hall next week in a rematch of last year’s state finals (won by Wilton 1-
0 in overtime). Thursday’s game, played on a rain-soaked field, started with the Warriors in control, with
several good scoring chances over the first 15 minutes. Then the eighth-seeded Falcons turned the momentum
and it became an evenly played, back-and-forth game over the final 15 minutes of the half.

The final 30 minutes was all Wilton, as the Warriors put the pressure on the Barlow defense the entire second
half, with an 8-0 advantage in shots on goal. But the Falcons did a good job around their goal to keep it a 1-0
game until 1:45 left to play, when Delaney Baxendale blasted a ball in to make it 2-0. Wilton senior captains

Kristen Godin said the Warriors had expected a battle. “We come into every game expecting a great game, no
matter what seed they are, because that doesn’t mean anything when you step onto the field. It’s whoever has
the most heart,” she said. “I think we adapted really well and picked it up in the second half. I think we played a
really great game. It wasn’t one of our best games, but it was definitely up there.”

“I knew they had a couple of solid players, and they would be up. It’s the quarterfinals. They knew they had an
opportunity to come up and upset us,” said Wilton head coach Deirdre Hynes. “We knew it wasn’t going to be