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05/14/2017 12:00 AMAlthough the Hand girls’ lacrosse team had to deal with the graduation of several key players, as well as a season-ending injury to one of its top athletes, the Tigers have maintained a well-rounded offensive attack with a stingy defensive presence this spring. As a result, Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki’s squad hasn’t skipped a beat in 2017.
Hand went 14-2 for the regular season before winning its second straight SCC Tournament title and reaching the semis of the Class M State Tournament last year. This season, the Tigers had to plug in some new pieces after parting ways with last year’s graduates, and then they lost senior attacker Amanda Gentile for the year due to a torn ACL in the second game. Still, Hand stands with an excellent record of 12-2 on the campaign, having most recently defeated SCC rival Guilford by a 16-3 score at the Surf Club on May 9, followed by a 12-9 victory at non-conference opponent Conard on May 13. Coach Siedlecki said that the Tigers must solely concern themselves with what they can control in their pursuit of the SCC and state titles.
“The biggest thing is that we have to be the best team we can be. New Canaan isn’t in Class M anymore, but they’ve been the measuring stick for us in the past since we lost four of the last five years in states to them. New Canaan not being in M anymore has shifted our focus,” said Siedlecki. “There are good teams in M like Branford, East Lyme, and Pomperaug. From the state quarterfinals on, it could be a tough game in each round, so there isn’t one focal point for us. We want to be as good as we can be, so we are ready for anybody.”
Even though Gentile is sidelined, Coach Siedlecki said that she continues to fulfill her role as a team captain by providing a constant presence at Hand’s games and practices. Joining Gentile in the captain’s chair is senior defender Reilly Thornbury, another leader who is always eager to aid the Tigers in any way possible.
“Amanda was a big scoring threat for us. She had surgery a week ago, but she continues to come to every team event, and is a great role model. She has spent a lot of time shooting on her own, and she’s helped the younger kids. She will continue to be a big part of the team,” Siedlecki said. “Reilly is always on top of things. She always knows what the team needs on the field. She is a great leader for this team. She trusts everyone else, and they trust her.”
Goalkeeper Caitlyn Harvey, who was a 2016 All-SCC Second Team selection last year, continues to stand tall in net during her senior season, and attacker Caroline Jenkins is also a senior on the team.
The Tigers boast a strong junior class that features midfielders Taylor Scully, a 2016 All-SCC First Team honoree and UConn commit who leads Hand in both goals and assists with 36 apiece; Riley Kokoruda, who was also All-SCC First Team athlete in 2016 and has 114 draw controls this year; Emma Sullivan, who has 17 goals with seven assists and a team-tops 65-percent shooting percentage; plus Dory Howard, who has committed to Lafayette College and scored 18 goals. Glenna-Kate Gies has 37 goals with 13 assists, while Nora McCarthy is another junior attacker for the Tigers. Hand also features a dominant defensive unit that’s surpassed some preseason expectations, led by juniors Emma Valdez, Abby Barry, and Grace Craven.
“Caroline is instrumental in keeping possession and goes after ground balls effectively. Caitlyn has had some really strong games and made big saves against Glastonbury and East Lyme to help build our momentum. Taylor is a selfless distributor of the ball. Riley is the best we’ve ever had at draw controls, and she’s a top matchup defender. Nora has stepped in for Amanda, and she’s great with ground balls and is aware of where she is on the field. Dory is a great defender and also with ground balls in transition,” said Coach Siedlecki. “Glenna-Kate Gies has really come into her own and has great chemistry with Taylor. Emma is like a vacuum in the midfield; she comes up with everything within her reach. Our whole defensive unit has come together very well with Abby, Emma, and Grace. Abby is a great [1-on-1] defender, and Grace will beat people to a ground ball with her speed. We are a lot stronger at defense than I expected.”
While his Tigers have piled up plenty of victories thus far, Coach Siedlecki still wants things to unfold a little smoother for them from the opening gun through the final horn. The coach feels that his team is learning some valuable lessons that can only help Hand’s chances of once again making some playoff waves.
“We learn from every game. We learn from losses, too, which is good for us. We let [a 15-10 loss to Greenwich] get away from us. We led at halftime, and we were down 12-10 with three minutes left, so overall, it was a competitive game,” said Siedlecki. “We’ve been a slow-starting team this year in our wins. We were tied at 3 with Mercy 20 minutes in, we were tied with East Lyme at halftime, and Old Lyme scored the first two goals of that game. When we are at our best, we are definitely the best team we’ve had at Hand. We worked a lot the past week or so on those slow starts. The skill level here is so high that we’ll make improvements with the Xs and Os, but we have to be ready to play right from the start.”
From the Sidelines
This is Kevin Siedlecki’s ninth season as Hand’s head coach.
The assistant coaches for the Tigers this year are Jill Gerzabek (varsity assistant), Lindsey Carroll (JV coach), Gretchen Montgomery (goalkeeper coach and co-freshman coach), and Amy Zupan (co-freshman coach).
Aside from the Greenwich loss, the Tigers’ other defeat came by a 16-13 final against prep school Loomis Chaffee, although that loss doesn’t count toward the SCC standings or Class M State Tournament rankings.