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07/07/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford girls’ lacrosse team came into the 2018 campaign featuring plenty of veteran players who brought experience to the squad. Although the Indians went through some ups and downs during the regular season, they displayed great resiliency as the year wore on and made a historic push to the state’s Final Four. Guilford ultimately finished with a record of 14-8 after advancing to the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament for the first time in program history.
Head Coach Wendy Epke’s club posted a regular-season record of 10-6, after which the Indians earned a 16-10 victory versus Mercy in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals. Guilford then took a 17-7 loss against eventual champion Hand in the semis.
Following SCCs, Guilford claimed its defining victories of the season as the No. 13 seed in the Class L state bracket. After dismantling No. 20 seed Watertown by a 19-1 score in the qualifying round, the Indians notched a 16-10 win over Tolland and beat No. 5 Woodstock Academy 14-7 in the quarterfinals to reach the state semis for the first time. Guilford dropped a 16-8 decision versus Hand in the semifinal round.
Coach Epke said the Indians jumped out to a fast start and then hit some divots in the middle of their schedule. However, she was happy to see her athletes dig deep during the second half of the season and keep the good times rolling into June after picking up four playoff victories.
“We started the year with 14 returning varsity players so, in general, we had a lot of confidence early on, and the 4-0 start helped us going into the tougher part of our schedule,” said Epke. “At the end of the year, they started to come together as a group. They were cohesive and started to do more things as a group.”
Senior midfielder Hannah McDermott was Guilford’s lone captain this season. The Indians’ senior class also featured midfielder Olivia Clarke, a four-year starter who is playing at the University of Bridgeport next year; along with Bryce Makula on defense and Libby Heller on attack. Clarke was named to the All-SCC Second Team this season, as was junior midfielder Nicolette Spotlow, who also made the All-State Second Team.
“We had a great group of seniors. Some had been playing for years before high school and some started in high school, so it was an eclectic group,” Epke said. “Olivia will be hard to replace. She spent a lot of time an energy in the program. She was our quarterback on offense. Hannah is a lax lifer. She’s played since youth. She sets the tone at practice and leads by example. We needed leadership on defense, and Bryce helped there. Libby also helped with leadership on offense.”
One of the Indians’ pivotal points during the regular season came when they upended a non-conference rival that had previously been a thorn in their side. Then in the postseason, Guilford got a little revenge against Mercy when it mattered most.
“East Lyme clobbered us twice last year, and so for us to beat them and play well, from the goal-keeping to the attack, it was a huge confidence booster,” Epke said. “We lost to Mercy in our last regular-season game, which was not our best moment, but the girls came together and tried to come back in that game. We played them at Mercy in SCCs and beat them, which was liberating to grab that win back. The kids started to believe once we got to states, and we knew we were doing better than before. Making the semifinals is hopefully a sign of more things to come.”
The future does look bright for the Indians, who will return multiple players in each grade who saw significant varsity minutes this year. Among the key people coming back are goalies Molly McLaughlin, who just completed her sophomore year; and Carson Halbower, who was a freshman. Coach Epke also expects to welcome a promising class of incoming freshmen who will try to help the Indians follow up their landmark 2018 campaign with another stellar season in 2019.
“I think our success this year is a glance into the future. We had players in each grade that were significant contributors on offense and defense. We started four juniors, two sophomores, and a freshman this year,” said Epke. “In our youth program, we have a strong group of 8th-graders coming in, which bodes well for our future.”
From the Sidelines
In the regular season, Guilford defeated Stamford (14-3), Sheehan (15-7), Morgan (12-4), Lauralton Hall (13-7), Amity (16-4), Haddam-Killingworth (18-7), East Lyme (16-12), Law (16-15), Avon (18-6), and Simsbury (12-11).
he Indians’ losses came against Fairfield Ludlowe (12-5), McMahon (17-4), Branford (16-8), Hand (19-7), Cheshire (17-10), and Mercy (14-13).
This was Wendy Epke’s second year as Guilford’s head coach.
The Indians’ assistant coaches were Lou Monaco, Julianna Molloy, and Jillian Schaper.