Sports

Rams Girls Soccer Into Championship Game No. 2

After tying in the FCIAC final and shooting through the state tournament bracket, New Canaan is set to play in another final.

The New Canaan Rams Girls Soccer Team is into the state championship game. But their 3-0 win over Masuk in the semis was closer than the scoreboard would make it seem.

New Canaan and Masuk looked evenly matched Wednesday, as both teams kept each other out of the box for most of the 80 minutes. It took a blast from Caroline Murray for the Rams to break through.

Off a corner kick from Freddie Kemp, Murray picked up the ball and struck from more than 30 yards out to put New Canaan up 1-0 in the 21st minute.

"The first goal was a fantastic strike," said coach Kirk Bamford after the game.

One of Masuk's best chances in the first half was set up by Amanda Snajder, who catapulted the ball in from the sideline with a somersault throw. But the Rams crowded the post and Marissa Maiolo's header, which set up by Snajder's throw, flew past the goal.

Then with just under a minute to go in the half, Caroline Murray got a pass to Jana Persky on the baseline from about 40 yards out. In what Bamford called a "well-worked move" Persky navigated around two Masuk defenders for the shot and goal to make it 2-0 at the half.

The play stayed competitive in the second half as the teams pushed each other back and forth around the field.

Two-thirds of the way through the second half New Canaan battled down to Masuk's end, earning another corner kick. Then Clare Ashforth sealed the deal for the Rams with a powerful header into the back of the net.

Though Masuk kept up the fight, they would never get on the board.

"It was definitely one of those semifinals," Bamford said. "It wasn't necessarily going to be pretty, but I think we showed enough pressure and enough assertion to get the ball and play in the right half of the field."
 
Now the sixth seeded Rams, who are already this year's FCIAC co-champs with Ridgefield, will hope to stay on the right side of the field Saturday in the tournament final against eighth seeded Avon.


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