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The top-seeded Bears added a late insurance goal and went on to win, 2-0, at New Canaan High School. It was the first state title since 1966 for the Bears, while Prep was seeking its first state crown.
“I think we matched up better with them than we did with Greenwich,’’ Prep coach Ryan Lyddy said, referring to his team’s semifinal opponent. “It took us a while to start our progression, but once we did, they started to break down as a unit. Then they had that late goal to put it away.”
Norwalk scored with 9:30 left in the first half on a penalty kick by Andrew Melitsanopoulos. Santiago Muriel created the opportunity for Norwalk when he got a step on a Prep defender and was hauled down seven yards in front of the goal. Melitsanopoulos easily converted the penalty kick.
“We got lucky, that could have been a red card,’’ Lyddy said. “Somebody was looking out for us. We felt confident with Will (Steiner) in goal. But the kid’s supposed to make it, and he did his job.”
Prep pressed throughout much of the second half, and had the Bears on their heels. Austin Sims was a handful all game for the Bears, and he narrowly missed converting a golden opportunity with just over nine minutes to play when his shot hit the crossbar. Several other Prep chances also went astray or were stopped by Norwalk goalie Svet Kozak.
The Jesuits made a nice run to get to the final after winning their second straight Southern Connecticut Conference championship.
“I don’t think this was a fluke, this team deserved to be here,’’ Lyddy said. “We showed we can play with them. We’re looking forward to getting back here next year.”
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