Wreckers go Back-2-Back
Edwards’ hat trick leads Staples to second straight state title
HARTFORD — Getting a hat trick in any soccer game is a notable accomplishment. Doing it in a postseason game is even more memorable.
But accomplishing it in a CIAC state final in less than a 7-minute stretch? Annabel Edwards did just that for Staples on Sunday at Trinity Health Stadium.
Edwards’ three goals early in the second half lifted No. 3 seed Staples to a 4-1 victory over top seed
Cheshire in the Class LL girls soccer state championship final.
“It was like momentum after I scored the first one. My confidence kept growing and I was lucky enough to get great assist after great assist,” Edwards said.
Staples (16-2-4) repeats as Class L champion after sharing the crown with Wilton last year, a scoreless tie. That, and the cochamps in Class M last year, led to the change to do away with shared titles and bring in penalty kicks to decide an outright champion if need be.
Ironically, both Staples and Mercy were able to win outright titles this year in regulation.
“What was important for us was making that happen on the field and not having to go that far,” Staples coach Barry Beattie said. “Cheshire, a young talented team, we knew we had to be at our best in order to put them away.”
This time the Wreckers thoroughly enjoyed their celebration.
“I couldn’t stop smiling the last 20 seconds of the game, it’s so great,” said Staples defender Sami DeWitt, who will play at Colby next season.
Said Edwards: “We all remember that feeling of not getting what we wanted last year. I think that definitely let us complete this game with a lot of intensity and a lot of energy and I think it showed that we were the better team and we deserved to win this time.”
This was a matchup of the second and third ranked teams in the last regular season state coaches poll.
Natalie Chudowsky, a freshman, got Staples on the board, beating Cheshire goalkeeper Sophia Bates to the bottom corner for the 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.
“It was important for us to get out of that half with zero goals conceded,” Beattie said.
But then the Wreckers went to work early in the second half. Specifically, Edwards went to work.