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07/30/2017 12:00 AMThe Branford girls’ lacrosse team wanted to make 2017 its best year in program history, and it’s safe to say the Hornets accomplished that goal and then some this spring. Head Coach Jackie Ceccolini’s squad put 17 wins in the books, and there was none bigger than Branford’s last one of the season—a 15-8 triumph over Pomperaug in the championship game of the Class M State Tournament. The victory yielded the Hornets’ first state title and reinforced the fact that business is booming when it comes to lacrosse in Branford.
“It was an unbelievable season,” Coach Ceccolini said. “We knew we had all the potential in the world if we played our game. We had some great wins during the season and some tough losses that taught us some valuable lessons.”
After losing to East Lyme in the season opener, the Hornets rattled off nine wins in their next 10 games and were on their way to their landmark campaign. Branford then lost to both Lauralton Hall and Pomperaug by 13-12 finals in overtime, but came back to defeat fellow SCC power Hand by that same score en route to a regular season record of 12-4.
In the SCC Tournament, the Hornets edged Guilford 14-13 in the quarterfinal round before dropping a 13-12 against Cheshire in the semis.
Branford then opened play in the Class M State Tournament as the No. 4 seed, earning lopsided wins versus Foran (15-3) and Farmington (18-5) in the first two rounds. After that, the Hornets avenged a pair of previous defeats by posting a 16-13 win over East Lyme in the semifinals, followed by their 15-8 victory against Pomperaug in the final. Branford’s win marked the first time that an SCC school claimed a state crown in girls’ lacrosse.
The Hornets finished their season having scored 312 goals, while allowing 184. Ninety of those goals came off the stick of junior midfielder Sophie Spencer, who scored nine times in Branford’s state semifinal win and then put home six goals in the championship game. Spencer, who also had 11 assists, made the All-SCC First Team, the All-State Team, and the New Haven Register All-Area Team. She was also named Register’s All-Area Most Valuable Player, as well as the Hornets’ team MVP.
Fellow junior midfielder Autumn McHenry tallied 54 goals with 35 assists on her way to being selected as Branford’s Offensive Player of the Year. She also made the All-SCC First Team, as well as the All-State and All-Area teams.
Senior captain defender Morgan Gilman was an All-SCC First Team, All-State, and All-Area honoree, in addition to being named Branford’s Defensive Player of the Year. Gilman, who also scored four goals, captained the Hornets with senior attacker Ashlee Smestad, who led the team in assists by dishing out 47.
Junior midfielder Sabrina Torcellini won Branford’s Hustle Award, while racking up 55 goals and 16 assists. Torcellini was an All-SCC and All-State Second Team selection and also sealed a spot on the All-Area squad.
Junior attacker LanLe Crotty was another player who had a prolific season for the Hornets by netting 45 goals to go with 20 assists.
Sophomore goalie Jill Ciarleglio stepped up in a major way in her first season in the varsity net, starting every game for the Hornets. Ciarleglio finished the year with a 58-percent save percentage, including 12 huge saves in the state final. Ciarleglio wound up winning a share of Branford’s Most Improved Player Award with fellow sophomore Grace Paleski, a shutdown defender who typically marked the opposition’s best offensive player.
On top of all these accoaldes, Coach Ceccolini was named the Register’s All-Area Coach of the Year and the Class M All-State Coach of the Year.
From the Sidelines
The Branford girls’ lacrosse squad’s 2017 roster was comprised of senior captains Morgan Gilman and Ashlee Smestad, fellow seniors Charlee Grady, Kaitlin Parker, and Gabby Piscitelli; juniors Caroline Erickson, Sophie Spencer, LanLe Crotty, Haley Maerckelin, Erin O’Brien, Sabrina Torcellini, Hailey Manware, Emma Pierson, Britney Bunbanlu, Erica Klarman, and Autumn McHenry; sophomores Carly Shea, Jill Ciarleglio, Jessica Amarante, and Grace Paleski; and freshmen Brianna Shaw, Karly King, and Brooke O’Leary.
Head Coach Jackie Ceccolini completed her ninth season as the helm and was assisted by JV Head Coach Melissa Carney, her brother Billy Alessi, her father Joe Alessi, and Christina Smith
Branford recorded a mark of 12-4 for the regular season and earned wins versus Haddam-Killingworth (12-6 and 15-11), Guilford (12-6), Sheehan (17-2), Old Lyme (10-9), Masuk (13-4), Old Saybrook (19-7), Mercy (20-6), Barlow (7-4), Law (17-6), Hand (13-12), and Amity (17-4).