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12/10/2016 11:00 PMThe Guilford field hockey squad played light’s-out in the State Tournament this fall and put together an excellent run to earn a chance to compete for a state championship, while its athletes grew as a result of playing under the spotlight in numerous marquee matchups.
Guilford finished with a record of 13-2-0-1 for the regular season to earn the No. 4 seed in the Class M State Tournament. The Indians also reached the SCC Tournament semifinals, where they lost to Cheshire. Then in the Class M State Tournament, Head Coach Kitty Palmer’s squad defeated No. 13 Farmington (2-1), No. 12 Hand (4-3), and No. 8 Lauralton Hall (1-0) to make its first state final since 2012. Guilford took a 3-1 to defeat to No. 7 seed New Canaan in the final to conclude the year at 17-4-0-1 overall.
Coach Palmer said that, with the exception of the opening moments of the championship game, goals were hard to come by for Guilford’s opponents as the Indians passed their tests and learned how to win amidst the pressure of the postseason.
“Every year, we hope to make both the SCC and state tournaments and then make a good run in both, so it was a very successful year all around,” said Palmer. “Our run in states was really led by our defense. It was just unfortunate that we didn’t play well at the start of the final. We beat Farmington 2-1 when we were nervous, I thought, but our defense held strongly. We were pushed against Hand and they had a lot of chances. I thought our best game was against Lauralton Hall. We shut them out despite being outshot in the game. We just had those first 20 minutes of the state final where we didn’t play well and had to play catch-up.”
Seniors Teddi Stanley and Cami Makula, the team’s starting goalie, took the reins as the captains for the Indians this year. The tandem showed great initiative both on the field and in the local youth field hockey community to leave their mark by impacting the growth of the game around town.
“Teddi and Cami were dedicated right from last year’s season-end banquet, when they were named captains,” said Coach Palmer. “They worked so hard to include everyone and made sure they had opportunities to train and get better. They also started a youth field hockey camp in Guilford this spring. They’ve both been amazing and I’m pleased for their success.”
Palmer added that none of the Indians’ success would have been possible without a rock-solid senior class that was part one of the team’s biggest rosters in recent memory. The coach also discussed some of the Indians’ more notable victories from the campaign.
“One of the biggest accomplishments this year was playing and beating Hand three times in three weeks and then reversing our play from our regular season loss to Lauralton Hall to then win in the state semis,” Palmer said. “We had 62 girls in the entire program this year with 25 of them being freshman. Everybody got along and the leadership was very good, which was due a lot to the seniors being so inclusive to everyone and being good role models. All of that, plus the effort they gave game after game, helped tip things in our favor this year.”
For All-Conference accolades, junior Olivia Clarke and senior Julia Ellman were named All-SCC First Team this season, plus Stanley and senior Kendra Luden collected Second Team honors. In terms of All-State bids, Clarke and Ellman made the First Team. For Guilford’s team awards, Makula was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and its Defensive MVP, while Clarke was selected as the Indians’ Offensive MVP. Ellman was named the Most Improved Player and Stanley won the Coach’s Award.
Guilford will have to reassemble a few pieces on the field when the 2017 fall season rolls around. Still, after seeing how this year’s underclass athletes performed in the recent postseason, Coach Palmer feels optimistic that the Indians can not only once again put themselves in a position to play for a state crown, but potentially, hoist up a championship plaque.
“We have strong players in the sophomore and junior classes that will have to lead the way for the new kids. We will have a new goalie, defenders, and midfielders, plus we have two big shoes to fill with Teddi and Julia,” said Palmer. “The kids we have coming up will then take the place of those with a lot of experience in those positions. It all depends upon how the kids do in stepping up to that next level.”
From the Sidelines
The senior class for Guilford was comprised of captains Cami Makuka and Teddi Stanley, along with fellow seniors Marietta DeJulio-Burns, Julia Ellman, Mia Stebbins, Kendra Luden, Rhiannon Zergiebel, and Jess Warner.
This season marked the Indians’ eighth appearance in a state final. Guilford lost to Wilton 3-0 in the Class M final in 2012, took a 1-0 loss to Pomperaug in the 2003 Class L final, dropped 2-1 contest in overtime against Cheshire in the 2001 Class L final, and was co-champions of Class L in 1997 following a 1-1 tie with Simsbury. Guilford also took a 2-1 defeat to Greenwich in the Class L final in 1994, lost to Farmington 1-0 in the 1979 Class M title game, and lost 2-1 versus Granby Memorial in the 1973 state final.
For the entire campaign, Guilford surrendered only 22 goals and posted 11 shutouts.