Connor Uitterdijk scored one of the goals in Wilton's 2-0 win over Trumbull.
Gretchen McMahon / For Hearst Connecticut MediaThose who braved the windy, chilly weather Thursday night were treated to a playoff-caliber game between the Wilton and Trumbull boys soccer teams.
The action at Kristine Lilly Field was non-stop in a contest featuring teams with a combined 13-1-7 record, and while Trumbull put the Wilton defense to the test all evening it was the host Warriors who did the only scoring.
Goals early in the first half and late in the second carried Wilton to a 2-0 victory and kept the Warriors (8-0-3) unbeaten this season.
“We knew that they were a very fast and very talented team ... so we knew we had to come out and at least match their level of intensity or [have a] higher [level],” said Wilton senior striker Michael Zizzadoro. “We’re coming off a game that we tied (4-4 against McMahon last Thursday) and didn’t play our best, so we didn’t want that to happen again.
“We did things tonight to frustrate them and force them into playing long balls down the field, but our defense was there to keep them from scoring,” added Zizzadoro. “We went toe-to-toe with one of the top talented teams in our conference and came away with a win.”
Although Trumbull (6-2-4) was held scoreless, it did force Wilton sophomore goalie Jack Lynch to make 11 saves for the shutout.
The Warriors went ahead with a goal in the fifth minute of play. Nathan Bennett’s left-footed corner kick sailed to the near post and found teammate Connor Uitterdijk, who turned and fired his shot into the Trumbull net.
Wilton clung to that 1-0 lead until Bennett scored an insurance goal with 2:23 left in the game. Bennett was able to take the ball away from a Trumbull defender and convert on a quick, left-footed shot inside the far post.
A key to the win was Wilton’s ability to read what Trumbull was trying to do on offense and adjust accordingly.
“That’s absolutely correct,” said assistant coach Matt Jessop. “We knew they would come out aggressively and put high pressure on us, so we changed our style of play to open the game to try to take their attack away. And in the second half they came out with a different plan and again our players made the necessary adjustments to keep them at bay.”