“It was a sloppy game and New Canaan scored bang-bang and it could’ve gotten out of hand. “Look at the first quarter and the first half, we turned the ball over left and right,” Brameier said. Porter Barnett tied the game 3:17 into the second half, and Max McBride gave the Wave its first lead with 2:43 remaining in the third.ĭarien scored one more in the third and three in the fourth for a five-goal lead before Crowell finally ended the run with one minute remaining. “Carter Hagen stepped up big and we played as a team, got on their hands, created turnovers and it started going our way.” “Defensively, we buckled down,” McGahren said. “In the second half, we came out with a purpose.” “We got in the huddle at halftime and I said we all need to step it up, especially myself,” Hagen said. Two goals by Brady Pokorny late in the first half cut the deficit to 6-5 at the break and set up Darien for a big second half.

Jake Wilson, William Bonner and Mark McNamara, held New Canaan scoreless for the next 33:29. Darien cut the deficit to one at 3-2, but the Rams responded with a 3-1 run to take a 6-3 lead with 10:29 remaining in the half.ĭoster Crowell, who scored four of New Canaan’s seven goals, had three in the first half.įrom there, however, the Rams went silent.ĭarien’s defense, led by Hagen and long poles Mac McGahren. New Canaan came out soaring and took a 3-0 lead in the first 2:31. Some mental mistakes that in a game like this you’re going to have, but we just had a lot more than they did in the second half and they played really well.”ĭarien’s turnaround started in the second quarter. We made a few errors and gave up possession, whether it was offsides or not chasing a shot. “It was a mix of our decision-making and what they forced us to do. “Turnovers definitely cost us,” New Canaan coach Chip Buzzeo said. “I’m a football guy too and the way they beat us in the Turkey Bowl really stung, so I wanted to come out here and take it from them.”įor New Canaan (9-3), the second half was rough, as the Rams were unable to maintain possession or get any kind of momentum going. “We’ve played some great teams and we’ve had some tough losses and some good wins, but to come out here and beat your in-state rival like New Canaan, it means a lot,” said Darien goalie Carter Hagen, who collected 10 saves. 3 New Canaan’s best punch in the first half and went on to score eight unanswered goals en route to an 11-7 victory on a rain-soaked Saturday in Darien.įor the Wave (7-4), it was a welcome rebound from last year, when New Canaan snapped a nine-game losing streak against Darien in an 11-10 decision - the Rams' first win against their rivals since 2015.

A Better Place by Mark A. Roeder