This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/16/2016 11:00 PMField Hockey
The Branford field hockey team’s memorable postseason run came to a close on Nov. 16, when the Hornets dropped 1-0 decision to New Canaan in a Class M State Tournament semifinal at Trumbull High School. Defending champion New Canaan (14-5-1), the No. 7 seed, scored the game’s only goal with 24:19 remaining in the first half and hung on for the win to advance to a match against Guilford in the final. Branford, which was the No. 3 seed, finished with a record of 19-3 in a year that saw the Hornets win their first SCC Tournament title.
New Canaan’s goal materialized when one of the Rams struck a ball from the 30-yard line and it went through a pack to Tigger Nesbett. Nesbett took two quick shots that Branford goalie Keira Integlia stopped, but the third attempt went through to give New Canaan its 1-0 edge. Head Coach Cathy McGuirk said that most of her team’s potential scoring chances in the first half were thwarted by the Rams.
In the second half, the Hornets came flying out of the gates and quickly went down field into the New Canaan circle. Branford earned a few penalty corners in a row and pressed hard for equalizer, but the Rams were able to withstand the Hornets’ charge and prevented them from tying the game.
Branford had six corners in the contest, while New Canaan had five. The Rams outshot Branford 12-7 with Integlia made eight saves in the cage.
Coach McGuirk said that her team played a great game against New Canaan, just like the Hornets had done throughout the campaign.
“The kids played as consistently as they have been playing all season. It’s just that the other team was a little quicker on a very fast field,” she said. “We didn’t have much to say at halftime. What they were doing was what they needed to do. It’s just that New Canaan was doing things a little bit better and a one-goal game is what you see. It wasn’t three or four. Our kids were just playing great offense and great defense.”
Despite the defeat, Coach McGuirk praised her athletes for their achievements in a historic season that won’t be forgotten in Branford any time soon.
“To be 19-3 and the 3rd-ranked team in the state, we needed to win all the big games and they did that,” said McGuirk, who coaches the team with her husband John McGuirk, plus Robin Axtell. “We had four overtime wins against tough teams and Guilford was one of them and [the Lauralton Hall game in the SCC semis] went to three overtimes and penalty strokes. That showed our mettle as individuals and what individuals do to make a team achieve the goals it wants to achieve. I mean, SCC Tournament champions? That was awesome. [All three coaches] were proud of the way they played and I’m sure that they’re proud of themselves. They did a great job.”
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Even with only 11 athletes qualifying for the meet, the Branford girls’ swimming and diving squad was still able to score 373 points and finish in sixth place at the Class M State Championship.
Hornets’ junior Gabija Karosas earned All-State honors in the 100-yard backstroke by taking second place with a season-best time of 1:01.34 at the Class M meet. Karosas’s mark was only behind junior Caroline Sargent of Lauralton Hall, who finished first at 1:00.60. Karosas qualified for the State Open Championship at an alternate. The meet is at Yale University at noon on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Karosas also finished 15th in the 200 individual medley (2:19.47) and swam on a pair of relays for the Hornets. Karosas, freshman Gabrielle Gillis, senior Isabel Albinger, and junior Sally Nardella finished fifth in the 400 freestyle at 3:48.69, while the Hornets’ 200 medley relay of Karosas, Beler, freshman Cordelia Keberle, and Albinger took seventh behind a time of 1:57. Branford’s 200 freestyle relay of the Gillis sisters, Keberle, and Nardella earned a sixth-place finish at 1:46.78.
The Class M meet kicked off with the Diving Championship at Bulkeley High School on Nov. 9 and junior Kaitlyn Haynes posted a score of 299.75 to finish in 10th place. Haynes’s performance resulted in points for Branford that carried into the Swimming Championship portion of the competition, which was held at Wesleyan University on Nov. 15.
In addition to the performances from Karosas and its three relays, Branford saw Nardella take seventh place in the 200 freestyle (2:01.39) and 10th for the 500 freestyle (5:33.92). Albinger placed fifth in the 50 freestyle with a lifetime-best mark of 25.44, while Gabrielle Gillis took 10th in the 50 freestyle (lifetime best of 26.30) and was 13th in the 100 freestyle at 57.60. Albinger came in 14th place for the Hornets in the 100 free with a time of 57.61. In the backstroke, senior Margaret Angelo swam to a 10th-place finish in 1:05.36, while freshman Adrienne Dillon placed 17th (1:06.14). Beler was 14th in the 100 breaststroke (1:14.15), Keberle took 15th in the 100 butterfly (1:05.33), and Isabelle Gillis finished 16th in both the butterfly (1:05.87) and the 200 freestyle (2:11.32) for Branford.
Additionally, North Branford diver Peyton Joiner, who trains with Branford, competed at the Class S Diving State Championship at Bulkeley High School on Nov. 10 and finished in 11th place with a score of 326.30. Joiner's performance resulted in 16 points that put North Branford in 25th place for the Class S Championship.