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Sports

Darien Boys Lacrosse Cruises In FCIAC Playoff Opener

Matheis and West each score three goals in a 21-1 drubbing of the Golden Eagles.

Darien took another step in its quest to regain the FCIAC boys' lacrosse championship Saturday.

Chase Matheis and Brian Gleason each scored three goals, as the top-seeded Blue Wave cruised to a 21-1 victory over No. 8 Trumbull in the quarterfinals of the FCIAC playoffs.

Sophomore Henry West, Alden Frelinghuysen, and John Magnusson each added two goals for the Blue Wave, who will face Greenwich in the semifinals Tuesday at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk.

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"Everyone was involved in this win," Darien coach Jeff Brameier said. "Every player on the tournament roster got in the game today. It's great experience. The first group took care of business and gave me the opportunity to get the rest of the kids in."

Darien (15-2) earned the top seed by going 12-0 in the FCIAC, yet Brameier appeared nervous before the game.

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"It's the first playoff game," he said. "It's a whole new season. You hope you learned from what you did the rest of the season. We'll see what happens."

However, the Golden Eagles, who managed only two shots the entire game, were overmatched from the opening faceoff, falling behind 12-0 after the first quarter.

J.P. Walsh, Matheis and Henry West scored in the first three minutes. Frelinghuysen followed with a pair, and Gleason pumped in three in a row to make it 8-0. Matheis' second goal with one tick left in the period completed the first quarter barrage.

The Blue Wave tacked on six goals in the second quarter to open a 18-0 lead at halftime.

Darien showed mercy in the second half, as Brameier made liberal use of his bench. Magnusson scored back-to-back goals to give the Blue Wave a 21-0 lead with still almost four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Many were anticipating a championship game rematch in the semifinals against Ridgefield, which defeated the Blue Wave, 6-5, in last season's final to win the first lacrosse title in school history. But the fourth-seeded Tigers were upset at home by No. 5 Greenwich, 8-5, on Saturday.

Wilton, Darien, and New Canaan have dominated FCIAC lacrosse, combining for 30 titles.

Wilton leads the way with 13, but the Warriors have gone without a title since 1999.

Darien has won 11 FCIAC lacrosse crowns, including nine of the last 13. New Canaan's follows with seven, although the Rams are seeking their first league title since 2003.

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