The FCIAC voted recently to change the boys lacrosse schedule for the upcoming 2023 spring season to create a more balanced schedule.
The league will be divided into two tiers with Darien, New Canaan, Greenwich, Staples, Ridgefield and Wilton playing in Tier 1 and McMahon, Westhill, Stamford, Trumbull, Norwalk, Danbury, Ludlowe, Warde and St. Joseph in Tier 2.
“The new scheduling format is not much different than the old one except that we are using a two tier format for organizing the schedule and a rotation which will allow for more competitively balanced match ups than the old one,” FCIAC Commissioner Dave Schulz said. “I think it will work out well for all teams.”
The schedules are not completely set, but the structure has been agreed upon by the league.
Teams from Tier 1 would all play each other and play two games against teams from Tier 2, giving them eight league games.
Teams from Tier 2 would play each other with two games against Tier 1, giving them 10 league games.
Every season, all the teams in Tier 1 would qualify for the FCIAC Tournament, being joined by the top two teams from Tier 2.
Darien defeated Wilton in last year’s FCIAC final.
Ludlowe and St. Joseph qualified for the tournament, but Ludlowe lost 16-3 to Darien and St. Joseph fell 18-3 to Staples in the FCIAC quarterfinals.
Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Greenwich and Ridgefield are the only teams to win the FCIAC tournament since it was first held in 1977.
Norwalk was the runner-up in 1985 and is the only team that resides in Tier 2 to ever make an FCIAC championship game appearance.
Teams can fill in their remaining schedules however they see fit, including with teams from outside the CIAC and Connecticut.
Each of the Tier 1 teams played teams from outside the state last spring.
Last spring, Staples defeated Darien to win the CIAC Class L championship.
Both of those teams played six games against what are now Tier 2 opponents in the FCIAC during the regular season.
Staples outscored those teams 121-19 and Darien beat their Tier 2 opponents 107-16.