The field of eight teams is set for the FCIAC boys soccer tournament, but how they all shake out in terms of seeding is going down to the final day of the regular season.
Seven of the eight qualifiers will be in action on Monday, as the Greenwich Cardinals have completed their schedule. Just two of the playoff teams are involved in a head-to-head matchup with the Danbury Hatters, currently tied for seventh, playing at the fifth-place Trumbull Eagles.
Schedule for Monday, Oct. 23
Trinity Catholic at Stamford, 4 p.m.
St. Joseph at Staples, 4 p.m.
Norwalk at Darien, 4 p.m.
Danbury at Trumbull, 6 p.m.
Warde at Ridgefield, 6 p.m.
Westhill at New Canaan, 6:30 p.m.
Wilton at Ludlowe, 7 p.m.
The Ridgefield Tigers (11-3-1) have 34 points and the inside track for a the No. 1 seed. They own head-to-head tiebreakers against Greenwich and Ludlowe, and can wrap up the top spot with a win or a tie against Warde.
Should the Tigers lose, that would open the door for several other teams to claim a quarterfinal home game, as Ridgefield could drop all the way to fifth place due to tiebreak losses against Stamford, and Trumbull.
Greenwich (11-4-1) also has 34 points and has locked up a quarterfinal home game. The Cards could even get the No. 1 seed with losses by Ridgefield and Ludlowe, and wins by Trumbull and Stamford. That would create a four-way tie for first place between Greenwich, Ridgefield, Trumbull and Stamford, with Greenwich having the advantage.
The Ludlowe Falcons (9-1-5) have 32 points and need a win against Wilton, or a loss by either Stamford or Trumbull to clinch a quarterfinal home game. Ludlowe would jump to No. 2 with a win, and to No. 1 with a win combined with a Ridgefield loss to Warde.
Stamford and Trumbull (both 10-4-1) are currently tied for fourth place with 31 points, and Stamford has the edge based on its win over the Eagles on Sept. 13. Stamford clinches a quarterfinal home game with a win, while Trumbull could move up with a win over Danbury combined with a tie or a loss by either Stamford or Ludlowe.
Norwalk (8-5-2) is in sixth place with 26 points, and cannot move up. They could nail down the No. 6 seed with a win over Darien on Monday.
Danbury and Staples (both 7-4-4) are tied for seventh place with 25 points apiece. The teams tied during the regular season, so should they finish in a dead heat, the tiebreakers would move to the quality wins/ties scenario. In that case, Staples would have the edge based on its tie against Ridgefield. Danbury lost to the Tigers.
In terms of the state tournaments, 12 of the FCIAC’s 17 teams are in, and none of the other five can qualify.
Ridgefield, Greenwich, Ludlowe, Stamford, Trumbull, Norwalk, Staples, Danbury, Westhill, Warde, and Central will all play in the Class LL tournament, while Wilton will play in the Class L playoffs.
