Wilton grounds Ludlowe in FCIAC boys lax

The Wilton High boys lacrosse surged into the FCIAC playoffs riding a six-game winning streak, playing its best at the right time.

The way Wilton is performing right now, it's hard to imagine this season ending with anything but a trip to Friday's final, which would be the Warriors first since 2004.

"Our confidence is up and we're on a roll," Wilton senior Sean Carroll said. "We know talk is cheap and we want to go out there and do it. Whoever we face in the playoffs we are confident in our abilities."

Carroll and Luke Reyes Guerra-Dunn netted hat tricks as the second-seeded Warriors marched into the semifinals of the FCIAC tournament with a 15-1 win over No. 7 Fairfield Ludlowe on Saturday afternoon at Fujitani Field.

"I think it was a good team effort all the way around," Wilton coach John Wiseman said. "Our offense and defense did what they had to do and (goalie) Conor Johnson was solid. If we want to emulate what we did last year (a Class M state title) we need everyone to contribute and do their jobs."

Wilton received goals from nine different players, displaying the depth that makes it a force to be reckoned with as the postseason unfolds.

"It causes problems with other teams as far as match ups go," Carroll said. "We have six guys on the field at all times that can take the ball to the net; everyone on our team is capable of doing that."

The battle-scarred Falcons ran into a whirlwind after winning five of their last seven games to just to get into the tournament. Fielding just two seniors Saturday, the group was taught a lesson, yielding the first eight goals of the game before Kyle Mason tallied with 6:48 left in the second quarter.

"We were shorthanded today," Ludlowe coach Chris Parisi said. "We've been banged up; it has been a brutal season for us; we maxed out what we had. We tried to scrap the best we could but Wilton is obviously peaking right now."

Despite the exit, the season must be considered a success for the Falcons, who played a number of the best teams in the conference tight and saw the progression of a host of young faces. Three of Ludlowe's six regular season losses came by a single goal, and two weeks ago it played Wilton far tougher in a 13-9 defeat.

"We only had two seniors today; everyone will be back next season and we will see what we got," Parisi said. "We are definitely progressing. Last year we made it in as an No. 8 seed, this year we made it up to No. 7. I'm proud of them."

Ryan Lacey is a correspondent in Fairfield County.

WILTON 15, FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE 1

FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE 0 1 0 0--1

WILTON 5 4 4 2--15

Records: Fairfield Ludlowe 9-7, Wilton 13-3

Scoring: FL--Kyle Mason (1g), Jack Palmer (1a); W--Cole Rance (2g), Chris Nugent (1g), Matt Kobyra (3a), Connor Devane (1a), Luke Reyes Guerra-Dunn (3g), Sean Carroll (3g), Michael Burns (2g), William Harris (1g), Chase Lampbert (1g), Graham Parsons (1g), Charles Fields (1g), Robert Keers (1a); Goalies: FL--Mac Koss (4 saves), Thomas Kryspin (9), John Carey (1); W--Conor Johnson (5); Jason Petro (1). Shots: FL--15; W--41.