By Tim Parry

Jeff Brameier-coached Darien boys lacrosse teams have won 11 FCIAC titles over the past 25 years, including four of the past five. The Blue Wave saw its fourth consecutive title slip away last season, when it was upset by Greenwich in the semifinals last season, and the same thing almost happened last night against another upstart team.

Playing in its first-ever FCIAC title game, Ridgefield stormed back from a 4-0 deficit and took a five-all tie into halftime.

But a 6-2 surge in the fourth quarter - in which the Blue Wave was able to control possession and keep the ball away from Ridgefield star Matt White - gave the Blue Wave a 13-9 championship game win over Ridgefield at McMahon’s Jack Casagrande Field.

“We practive against that kind of zone all the time,” Brameier said. “It’s one thing to get the shots, but you have to hit the spots against a very good goalie [Brad DePrima].”

Darien may have got comfortable with the early lead, which quickly evaporated in the second. In fact, White gave the Tigers a 6-5 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter, and it looked then like Ridgefield’s momentum and determination would help carry it to the title.

But the Blue Wave hung tough and stayed focused.

“When a team takes a lead on you, especially in a championship game, you’ve got to find a way to regroup and not panic,” Brameier said. “It takes a lot of character, pride, and leadership. These kids have been there so many times that they know what it’s like to be in the heat of the battle.”

The third quarter may have not started off the way the Blue Wave had hoped, but they knew their mission.

“As soon as the third quarter came out, we knew we had to work hard and fast and bury them, and that’s what we did,” said Blue Wave junior attack Tyler Foley, who scored three goals and was named the game’s MVP.

But in the fourth quarter, the Blue Wave was able to win faceoffs and keep possession of the ball in its end of the field, which made White (three goals and two assists) a non-factor. Darien defenders also got the ball out of Ridgefield sticks at crucial times, and capitalized by getting ground balls.

“Our offense came together great today,” said Darien senior goalie Jameson Love. “They were a little slow at the beginning, and we were letting up on defense, not closing off the defense like we’re supposed to, but in the end our offense just pulled through and won it for us.”

And Love did give due credit his defensemen, who were able to keep all but one White breakaway shot in the fourth quarter to the outside.

“This was definitely one of our top two games of the season, with the Greenwich game being the other,” Love said. “This is definitely getting us ready for the state tournament. The way we played today shows that we can play with anybody.”

Next up for Darien: a Saturday CIAC Division II tournament home game against today’s Guilford/Barlow winner. Ridgefield will host either Trumbull or Staples in the Division I tournament on Saturday.

Is there a bigger surprise in Fairfield County boys lacrosse this season that Ridgefield?

After squeaking into the FCIAC and CIAC playoffs last year, the Tigers are undefeated at 9-0. And that includes a first-ever victory over arch-rival Wilton, and an upset win last Monday over national powerhouse Greenwich.

So what’s the difference between this year and last, when Ridgefield went 8-11 on the season?

“Last year we talked to them about expecting to be that good, and they’re really buying into it,” said Ridgefield head coach Andy Stockfisch after the Tigers 12-4 win over St. Joseph on Saturday. “This year they really understand that they need to focus on one game at a time, and treat each game like a business trip.”

And another thing that is helping the Tigers: Stockfisch won’t let the team rest on its laurels.

“There are a number of things that we need to talk about just from this game,” Stockfisch said. “Never let them be satisfied with their performance, no matter how big the win is, how great of a play they make, or the opportunities they have. They need to always want to do better.”

The Tigers take on SWC front-runner New Fairfield tomorrow, a team that features Duke-bound long-stick midfielder C.J. Costabile, the sixth-ranked player in the nation according to TAKKLE.com.

But Ridgefield counters with one of the best attacks in the country as well, Matt White. Ranked 19th in the nation, according to TAKKLE, White, a junior, has already given a verbal commitment to University of Virginia.

And thanks to White, and the team’s undefeated record, Stockfisch thinks his phone will ring often this summer, with college coaches on the other end wanting to find out about the Tigers.

“Any time when you get a team of this caliber that is beating some of the best teams in the state, you’re going to have some players like Matt White who have been seen and going to get seen,” Stockfisch said. “This summer I feel I’ll field 50 calls from college coaches about all sorts of kids on this roster.”

LocalSportsFeed founder Tim Parry sat down with White for an interview after his five-goal, four-assist performance against the Cadets. Here’s what White had to say about the 2008 Tigers, his opportunity to play at Virginia, and about the rumor that he won’t be back for a third season as Ridgefield’s starting quarterback this fall: