GCDS Boys Varsity Soccer Team Wins First League Championship

GREENWICH, CT - Tuesday, November 22, 2022 – After three losses at the beginning of the season, the Greenwich Country Day School Boys Varsity Soccer team kicked it into high gear, winning thirteen of the remaining fifteen games, and ultimately winning their first FAA Championship—and this was only their second season as a Varsity team. 

During the regular season the Tigers were 11-5. The postseason was a different story altogether as the Tigers won all three FAA postseason games, ending their season with a 14-5 record. 

The quarterfinal game was played at home versus Masters (NY) and was a nail biter. The game was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, resulting in 20 minutes of extra time.  The Tigers scored early and had to defend efficiently to hold off a strong opponent. Masters eventually pushed their team forward to attack and try to equalize the score, but the Tigers regained possession of the ball and put the game out of reach by netting a 3rd goal through a breakaway counterattack, ending in the final score of 3-1.

The semifinal game played at the #1 seed, St. Luke’s, was a hard-fought win. St. Luke's knew about the offensive power that GCDS possessed and turned their tactic into a defensive focus by pulling their midfield back in order to crowd the defensive zone, allowing the Tigers to win more midfield balls, but making it much harder to break through and have scoring opportunities. Similar to the quarterfinal matchup, the Tigers and St. Luke’s were 1-1 for most of the game. St. Luke’s pushed the Tigers to earn every opportunity, but they eventually broke through for two more goals to finish 3-1 in regular time. 

The FAA championship game versus Greens Farms Academy was a high energy affair. Both teams were certainly deserving of competing in the final and it was reflected in the final score of 1-0 in favor of the Tigers. The combination of a beautiful goal from a freshman midfielder and the Tigers sophomore goal keeper saving a penalty kick sealed the deal for the Tigers. The GCDS Boys Varsity Soccer team accomplished an FAA Championship in only their second varsity season. The future is bright for GCDS Varsity Soccer.  

Head Coach Alan Marsh said, “We had high expectations at the start of the season, but lost a couple of early games that we expected to win. I’m even more proud of our success, given the fact that the boys had to turn things around and find some form after that start. The players showed great character and worked very hard in practice to find the level we knew they were capable of.”