Greenwich boys soccer coach Kurt Putnam described his team’s win against Brien McMahon in the quarterfinal-round of the FCIAC Tournament as “costly,” with several defenders on the squad sustaining injuries.

Putnam noted that numerous players needed to step up in the team’s semifinal-round game against Ridgefield and one athlete he mentioned was Isaac Dumeny. Well, Dumeny certainly rose to the occasion and he happened to do so on his birthday.

Recently rejoining the team, after being sidelined with an injury for several weeks, Dumeny powered top-seeded Greenwich past fifth-seeded Ridgefield, recording a hat trick in his team’s impressive 5-1 victory at Fairfield Ludlowe High School on Monday night.

The Cardinals, who have won eight consecutive games and are riding an unbeaten streak of 13 games, improved their record to 13-1-3. They will face second-seeded Norwalk in Thursday’s 7 p.m. FCIAC Tournament final at Norwalk High School.

Greenwich’s lone loss of the season came against Norwalk. The Bears dealt the Cards a 2-1 defeat at Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 21. Since then, Greenwich has rolled to a record of 11-0-2.

Greenwich seized the momentum early on in Monday’s matchup against Ridgefield. Dumeny’s throw-in was headed by senior Jake Hugh-Jones. The ball bounced out to junior Lucas Luzuriaga, who booted a shot from 25 yards out into the back of the net, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

In the 23rd minute, the Cardinals extended their lead to 2-0, courtesy of senior Maximo Acosta. After receiving a pass from senior Alejandro Rodriguez, Acosta tallied off a breakaway, giving the Cards a two-goal lead.

Dumeny tallied his first goal in the opening half, putting Ridgefield in a 3-0 hole. The Tigers tried to claw their way out of their hole, as Fisher Mills converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, cutting Greenwich’s advantage to 3-1 – which was the halftime score.

But the elusive Dumeny was too much to handle on this night. He netted a goal in the 50th minute, then completed his hat trick less than a minute later, putting the Cardinals on top, 5-1, and into the tournament’s finals. In a road game against Darien on Oct. 5, Dumeny collided with Darien’s goalie while charging toward the goal. He was in concussion protocol for several weeks afterward, before recently making his return.

He certainly celebrated his birthday in style on Monday.

“I think it was us just playing two up top, I think it opened the field more than playing wingers,” Dumeny said. “It was really fun, I just get to run around and use my speed. “I feel like me stepping on the field, I guess it brought the team up more. It just gave us more energy.”

Greenwich last won the FCIAC title in 2017, when it topped Trumbull. In 2016, the Cardinals and Eagles dueled to a draw in the title game and shared the championship. The Cards beat Ridgefield for the championship in 2013 and 2007 and shared the conference title with New Canaan in 2005. Overall, Greenwich has won eight FCIAC championships.