Collision course
Undefeated St. Joseph, Staples set for FCIAC showdown
The two best girls soccer teams in the FCIAC have been on a collision course since the start of the season.
St. Joseph-Trumbull and Staples-Westport will renew acquaintances on Wednesday afternoon in Westport. Wakeman Park will be the site for the FCIAC showdown between the two-time CIAC Class LL state champion and the two-time Class L state champion. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
“No matter what season it is, if you want to win an FCIAC title, you have to beat St. Joes,” Staples coach Barry Beattie said. “We are absolutely looking forward to it. We are not taking our foot off the gas. We’ll take any opportunity we can to try and beat St. Joes.”
St. Joseph won both matchups against Staples last season, including 3-1 in the FCIAC tournament final. Staples shared the Class LL championship with Wilton in 2021, then won it outright against Cheshire last season.
Staples last defeated St. Joseph in the 2021 FCIAC tournament semifinals. Either Staples or St. Joseph has been the league tournament champion in four of the last five seasons a full tournament was held.
“I approach every game the same and I try to instill in my team that they should approach every game the same, but that is easier said than done,” St. Joseph coach Jack Nogueira said. “For me to tell you that they show up to play every game the same would be a lie. Some games, they are more ready for than others.
That’s just the way it is.”
St. Joseph (13-0) has been the state’s unanimous No. 1 team throughout this season in thee Class LL/L state coaches poll. The team is tied for ninth in this week’s United Soccer Coaches national rankings.
The Cadets’ margin of victory is 5.6 goals in league play. The closest game overall was two goals (3-1 against McMahon on Oct. 12).
“We’ll see what happens. It should be fun,” Nogueira said. “They are a good team, we are a good team. We have handled the season a little bit better to this point.”
Staples (11-1-2) lost at Wilton on Sept. 30 and has ties against Greenwich and Ridgefield. The Wreckers have won five straight since the Wilton loss. Beattie said he had five starters out for that game.
“That was a tough one, but it was a learning curve for the young kids who came in to take the spots for the starters,” said Beattie, whose team is ranked No. in the state.
The Cadets control their own destiny for the top seed in the league tournament. A win locks it up for sure and even a loss to Staples wouldn’t relinquish them control of their own fate.
Winning the FCIAC
regular season is always the first goal for the Cadets, followed by winning the league tournament title and then the state championship.
“That never changes,” Nogueira said.
It’s been quite some time since St. Joseph last lost a game: that was on Sept. 23, 2022 against Fairfield Ludlowe at home. The unbeaten streak is now at 30 games and the winning streak is at 22 for the Cadets.
Alexa Pino, the GameTimeCT State Player of the Year last season, leads St. Joseph with 23 goals and nine assists. The University of South Carolina commitscored all three goals in the FCIAC tournament final last November.
Taylor Jenkins (15 goals, three assists) and Sara Parker (19 goals, six assists) are committed to play at UConn and Xavier, respectively. Julia Nunes adds seven goals and five assists to the mix.
“They are ruthless in front of the goal. They make teams pay (for making mistakes on defense),” Beattie said of St. Joseph. “As long as we don’t make any mistakes, I think we have a good chance to beat them tomorrow.”
Evelyn Chudowsky, who has committed to play at Cornell, leads Staples with 13 goals and eight assists. Her younger sister Natalie, who played on the U.S. U15 Women’s Youth National Team, has 10 goals and 10 assists. Natalie had a hat trick in Monday’s victory over Danbury.
Annabel Edwards, who had a hat trick in the Class LL final last season, has seven goals and nine assists for the Wreckers.
St. Joseph is in the Class LL division this season, so these teams could face one another twice more.
“The good thing is the two top teams playing each other could be a dress rehearsal for future games down the line,” Beattie said.