McAndrews’ OT Heroics Lift Wilton (Conn.) Past Staples (Conn.)
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Wilton notched its biggest win of the season so far on Thursday, taking down national power Staples in overtime by a score of 7-6. The Warriors overcame a serious face-off disadvantage to pull out the win thanks to solid play…
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Continue ReadingWilton notched its biggest win of the season so far on Thursday, taking down national power Staples in overtime by a score of 7-6. The Warriors overcame a serious face-off disadvantage to pull out the win thanks to solid play from their defense and a patient, efficient offense. Trevor Galligan made critical saves for Wilton in the second half to fight off a Staples comeback effort. Staples was without Notre Dame commit
Ben Burmeister
Ben
Burmeister
6'3" | M | Right Hand
Staples | 2024
CT
, which allowed the Wilton defense to key specifically on Michigan bound attackman
Adam Udell
Adam
Udell
5'11" | 175 lbs | A | Right Hand
Staples | 2025
CT
. It was a team effort for the win, but these players stood out more than most.
McAndrews had a hat trick for Wilton, and none of the three goals was bigger than the game-winner in OT. He scored early in the game, he scored on a long-range shot on EMO, and then his last goal won the game. In a play designed for him to get a shot, McAndrews started inside on the crease. As a pick happened on the righty wing, with the ball carrier moving toward top center, McAndrews came off the crease in a mumbo action, using a pick to get himself to space. Staples defenders played through the pick, but McAndrews was still able to receive a pass before he made a right-to-right hitch move to get a step up field and unleash a low-to-high laser. McAndrews showed off an elusiveness as a dodger all day, but it was deceptive. He was getting to spots where he still appeared to be covered, but he showed he could score even with limited room.
Highlights
Flanagan excels at the plays that can steal a team a win. Unofficially, I had him with four caused turnovers and four ground balls. Flanagan also makes what I’d call ground ball assist plays. In scrums, he has a knack for knocking balls to space for teammates to pick up, winning possession for his team without actually getting the GB himself. The Utah commit was disruptive all day, picking off passes, including some clean out of the opposing players’ sticks. His active stick is his best asset. He also is an asset on the ride, where he plays a free safety sort of role, hanging out near the middle of the field to jump on clearing passes or harass shorties trying to run the ball out.
Highlights
Freshmen cracking starting lineups for traditional FCIAC powers does not happen often, but Viggiano doesn’t look out of place at all. He scored two goals for Wilton, including the Warriors’ first goal of the game. He looked ready for the moment against a nationally ranked team and mature beyond his years. His first goal came on a skip pass feed, and his quick release allowed him to get the ball past Marcus before he could get set and ready for the shot. His second goal of the day also came off-ball on the doorstep. While his production primarily came off-ball, he did show flashes of dodging ability that can be an asset if opponents aren’t ready for it.
Highlights
Staples uses a face-off tandem of Celotto and Jay Anastasi. The Gettysburg-bound Celotto was a critical part of the Wreckers’ effort on Thursday. He won the opening faceoff forward to himself, and ran through a late slide to him for a goal just seconds into the contest, setting an early tone and energizing his team. With Staples trailing by a goal at the start of the fourth quarter, Celotto once again won the faceoff to himself forward, racing past Wilton’s defenders for a goal. He easily won the draw in overtime, giving Staples the first opportunity at a game-winner. While both Celotto and Anastasi were dominant all day, Celotto had a knack for making a big play off the draw when his team needed it most.
Highlights
Udell is the QB of the Staples offense, doing most of his damage from below GLE as a dodger. He can dodge to score or feed, but his best attribute is his feel for how the defense is playing him. On his first goal of the day, Udell started from behind the net, dodging to his right. As he pushed above the goal line, Wilton sent a help defender toward him. Most high school attackmen would try to roll away from the pressure, step back, or move the ball off the double immediately. But Udell saw that the help defender wasn’t sliding particularly hard to him, it was more of a show to try and get him to pass. Udell re-dodged, got topside on his man, and face-dodged past the weak slider to score from the middle of the field. It was a great bit of field sense by him. He finished with a pair of goals on the day.