Darien Edges New Canaan In Classic Girls Lacrosse Championship Match

FAIRFIELD, CT — Tuesday's Class L girls lacrosse championship match featured everything a fan could ask for. The top two teams in Connecticut - No. 1 Darien and No. 2 New Canaan - met on the field at Sacred Heart University, site of last year's final which saw the Rams upset the Blue Wave, 14-13. Not only that, but the contest featured two of the top 10 girls' programs in the country, with Darien ranked first and New Canaan 10th.

The expectations were high, but the results far exceeded them. After falling behind 2-0 in the opening two minutes, Darien erupted for five goals in a 12-minute span. By halftime, the Blue Wave held a 9-5 advantage.

Rather than folding, New Canaan showed it is championship material, scoring six of the first eight goals after intermission to tie it at 11-all. Sadie Stafford put Darien back in front, but Lexie Tully tied it again for the Rams with 4:02 to play.

Ryan Hapgood pushed the Blue Wave back in front with 2:23 remaining, but Devon Russell tied it again for New Canaan with 1:46 left. Just over 30 seconds later, Chloe Humphrey broke from behind the New Canaan net and scored to reclaim the lead for Darien.

New Canaan put on some pressure and had a scoring chance in the waning seconds on a loose ball near the Blue Wave net, but time expired to give Darien a 14-13 victory and the program's 12th state title since 2007.

Humphrey, the top-rated high school player in the nation who will be taking her skills to the University of North Carolina, wound up with four goals, as did teammate Sadie Stafford. Hapgood and Kelly Holmes added a pair of tallies each, and Jillian Vaught and Hope Hapgood each registered a single goal.

For New Canaan, sophomore Madeline Tully paced the attack with five goals, and Russell had four. Sydney Patten netted a pair of goals, and Stella Nolan and Lexie Tully had one apiece.