Watching the Greenwich and Staples High School field hockey teams fiercely compete against each other on Oct. 16, it was evident that it probably wouldn’t be the only times the FCIAC rivals met this season.

Indeed, it wasn’t as the Cardinals and Wreckers are meeting today (Oct. 26) for the right to play in the FCIAC Tournament finals.

Fourth-seeded Greenwich earned a spot in the semifinal-round of the FCIAC Field Hockey Tournament, recording a hard-fought 2-1 win over fifth-seeded Wilton at Cardinal Stadium on Oct. 24. The Cardinals will play top-seeded Staples today (Oct. 26) in today’s 3 p.m. FCIAC semifinals at Wilton High School. The undefeated Wreckers advanced with a 9-1 win over Fairfield Warde in the conference tourney quarterfinals.

“This is what we aimed for at the beginning of the season,” Cardinals coach Megan Wax said of the team advancing in the FCIAC Tournament.

Against Wilton, junior Clara Ojea Quintana and senior Stella Thibeault scored one goal apiece to pace the Cardinals (13-4), who have won 11 of their last 12 games. The Cards success streak includes a tough 2-1 regular season win versus Wilton on Sept. 20.

“It feels really good, we worked towards this the whole season,” said Thibeault, one of the Cardinals’ captains. “The last time when we played Wilton the game was just as close. We scored in the last minute. This game, we really kept our composure and showed what we’ve been working towards all season.”

Following a scoreless first quarter, Greenwich took a 1-0 lead on Wilton with 5:32 remaining in the second quarter. Ojea Quintana, who has scored numerous key goals for GHS this fall, converted another big shot, giving the team a 1-0 second-quarter advantage.

With 8:16 left in the third quarter, the Cardinals added on to their advantage. Thibeault tallied, putting the hosts ahead of the Warriors, 2-0.

“We stayed calm, there were some points that we got a little frantic, but we stayed together, because we knew we wanted to move on to the next round,” Thibeault noted.

Wilton, which always has close games with Greenwich, made it a one-goal game with 10:26 left to play in the fourth quarter. Senior Mary Sylvester scored off a penalty corner, cutting Greenwich’s lead in half, 2-1.

“We love playing Wilton, they’re a well-coached team,” Wax said. “I think it always comes down to little things that happen in games and today, we were executing a lot of the little things that we had been focusing on to progress on into FCIACs.”

“We always say our league is so strong, especially when you make it into playoffs, everybody is a top contender and every game can go either way,” Wax continued.

Senior Kate Donnellan registered two shots on goal and kept the ball moving for Greenwich, which also received two shots on goal from senior Sofia Klingbeil, Thibeault and Ojea Quintana. Donnellan reflected on the Cards’ regular season game against Staples and how they carried aspects of that effort into their matchup against Wilton.

“I thought we did a really good job that game of when we did get possession, giving in-and-out passes and back-and-forth,” said Donnellan, one of the squad’s captains. “I think we capitalized on that today. Anytime we got the ball, it was give-and-go or a corner and there was always a good outcome.”

Klingbeil and Ojea Quintana totaled a team-best seven interceptions, while junior Emilia Arroyo had six interceptions for the Cardinals, who lost to today’s semifinal opponent Staples, 2-0, in the regular season.

“I think our biggest thing was composure and our balance between offense and defense,” said Klingbeil, a captain. “When we needed to defend, we defended and when we got our breakaways we made those smart passes and just prioritized and capitalized on our amazing forwards.”

“Our biggest thing as a team is we’re trying to be a 60-minute team,” Klingbeil continued. “We started out strong and we finished out strong.”

The Cardinals drew five penalty corners against the Warriors and freshman goalie Tatum Wunderlich made five saves in the winning effort. Senior Lexi Carino, junior Lilly Evers and junior Niene Boezen were among some of the athletes that helped lead Greenwich’s defensive play.

“It was super stressful there at the end,” Wax said. “Our defense played really well. Wilton is known to keep a player lower and I thought our ‘D’ did a great job of adjusting, but also making sure she was marked. Lexi and Lilly and Niene, all three of them have jelled and worked as a unit and seamlessly shift off of each other.”

Said Klingbeil: “Our defense has been working really hard on staying on the ball and clearing really hard. We showed that we are one team and we can unify.”

The games come up quick during the postseason/playoffs and Donnellan pointed to the team’s conditioning that is going to help keep them ready for each matchup.

“We worked really hard in the summer working with the underclassmen, the freshman team, the JV, the varsity so that everyone would be in shape and everyone was in tryouts,” she said. “We’ve kept it this whole season.”

The winner of today’s Greenwich/Staples game advances to the championship game of the FCIAC Tournament, which is scheduled to take place at Wilton on Oct. 29.

“That should be a good game, it was really close last time, it was 2-0,” Thibeault said, referring to Greenwich’s previous contest against Staples. “They’re a really good team, so I think we just have to work really hard and show them what we can do.”

Competing in the postseason is always a fun time and the Cardinals appreciate the experience.

“It’s so nice to be with such an amazing group of girls,” Klingbeil said. “To be able to share this experience for four years and now be a captain is an honor.”