Farmington Attacks Way To CIAC Class LL Soccer Championship
HARTFORD, CT —Shaking off a controversial Xavier goal in the second half, the Farmington High School River Hawks attacked their way to a 3-1 victory en route to the program's 14th state title Sunday night.
The CIAC Class LL state boys soccer championship in Hartford's Trinity Health Stadium was a highly anticipated matchup of soccer powers, evidenced by a crowd of 2,150 showing up.
But proving the adage that the best defense is a good offense, Farmington put their foot on the gas, so to speak, and forced Xaver to defend for much of the second half.
The fourth-seed Xavier Falcons of Middletown, coached by Brian Fitzgerald, came into the tournament 13-1-2 and were looking for the program's second-ever title, the last one coming in 1995.
Meanwhile, seventh-seed Farmington, led by coach Nick Boorman, enjoyed an 11-1-4 regular season as they sought the historic program's 14th state championship, the last one coming in 2021.
Farmington had the majority of early chances at the games start, probing with speed-oriented attacks emphasizing both athleticism and discipline.
Xavier, for its part, nearly matched Farmington's pushes with attacks of their own, playing solid defense early in what quickly became a battle of wills.
More than halfway through the first half, play settled down into the midfield, with both units holding their shape well.
Just when a nil-nil half appeared inevitable, Farmington struck fast and struck twice.
with seven minutes left in the first half, Farmington scored when junior Ian Manton headed in a nice crossing pass by senior Christian Fierro to give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead on Xavier.
Then, with 59 seconds left before the half, Fierro scored himself to put FHS up 2-0 following a pass from senior Luke Wagner, sending the Falcons into halftime facing a steep mountain to climb.
Looking to put the game away early in the second half, Farmington immediately went on the attack, earning a shot on goal and, then, a dangerous run by the forwards.
Xavier defended those attacks, but it needed to go on the offensive if it wanted to get back in the game.
Then suddenly, Xavier pulled one back in the 54th minute in the second half on a goal that appeared clearly offside to the naked eye.
Xavier senior Diego Canellas leaked well into the box against Farmington and received a pass from junior Evan Stone.
When Canellas powered the ball into the back of the net, the crowd, players and FHS coaching staff awaited an offside call that never arrived, resulting in a 2-1 Farmington lead and putting the Falcons back in the game.
The controversial goal amped up the pace of play, with Xavier pushing for an equalizer and Farmington looking to get that one back.
As the second half progressed, Xavier's attack grew more and more intense as they desperately sought the tying goal.
With about 10 minutes left, Farmington put the game away when senior Logan Drozd broke away and fired a shot in the back of the net, giving the River Hawks a 3-1 lead.
From there, it was a matter of closing out Xavier and watching the clock count down to zero, with Farmington leaving the field as champions once again.
