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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. It's becoming clearer which boys soccer teams are most likely to make the Fairfield County conference playoffs, but where they finish is a question that will be answered by two final, wild weeks in the regular season.
While Norwalk High (33 points) is close to capturing the top seed in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament, the seven other teams that currently qualify for the postseason are separated by only six points - or just two wins.
If any team can leapfrog top-ranked Norwalk in these final two weeks, however, Ridgefield has the best chance to do it. The second-place Tigers sit five points behind Norwalk, but have the easiest remaining schedule in the league.
Ridgefield plays Trinity Catholic, Bridgeport Central and Bassick in its next three games, all of which have two wins or fewer in the season. With a finale against bubble team Fairfield Warde, Ridgefield has a chance to win out and steal away the top spot from the Bears.
The rest of the playoff picture gets convoluted from there, as Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford, Wilton and Staples are all separated by a single point.
Greenwich and Stamford, tied for 3rd place with 26 points, both have a chance to get the upper hand on the other Tuesday. The two teams face off at Stamford High at 4 p.m.
A win would put Stamford in the driver's seat for sole possession of third place, with two of its three remaining games against non-contenders.
New Canaan (26 points) was undefeated until last week and has now lost two in a row. The road to the postseason does not get any easier for the Rams, as they take on three playoff contenders on the road over their next three games, including Westhill, Staples and Trumbull.
Lurking right behind those three teams, with 25 points each, is Wilton and Staples. The edge for better seeding goes to Wilton, with four of its five remaining games at home. Staples wraps up its regular season with three of its last four games coming against playoff contenders.
Danbury rounds out the current top eight with 22 points; but Greenwich, Wilton and Staples stand in the way of the Hatters advancing at the conference playoffs.
Westhill (19 points), Darien (18 points) and defending conference champion Trumbull (18 points) are currently on the outside looking in for a conference playoff spot. All three teams have two games against playoff contenders, making each game in these final two weeks a must-win.
A team is awarded three points for a win, one point for a tie, and none for a loss.
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