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10/02/2018 12:00 AMThe Hand girls’ soccer team is looking to build upon the immense success that the Tigers saw during the 2017 campaign. While the cast of characters looks slightly different, Hand is planning on following a similar script in order to have another memorable season.
Last fall, Head Coach David Dikranian’s team notched a record of 20-2-1, won the SCC Quinnipiac Division title, and claimed its first SCC Tournament crown since 2009. The Tigers ultimately took on St. Joseph in the Class L State Tournament semifinals and dropped a 3-0 decision, marking Hand’s first defeat since its opening game of the season.
The Tigers came into this season with a bit of a different identity after graduating several key seniors from that 20-win run. Still, Coach Dikranian said that his squad is striving toward the same goals. Hand is off to a solid start with a record of 3-0-3 that includes a record of 2-1 in SCC Housatonic Division play.
“We have a very new-look team when compared to last year. We graduated seven players, and six of them were starters,” said Dikranian. “The goals will remain the same, though. We want to defend our SCC title, win our division, and go deep in states. We still want to set the bar high here.”
The Tigers battled to a pair of 1-1 ties against both Old Lyme and Guilford in last week’s action. Hand hosted non-conference opponent Old Lyme on Sept. 24 and played the Wildcats to a 1-1 tie at the Surf Club. Hand took a 1-0 lead at the 32:36 mark of the first half when Kayla Howard scored a goal on assists from Tara Henry and Chloe Thompson. Old Lyme tied it up by getting a goal a little less than a minute later and the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
Two days later, the Tigers were on the road to face Guilford and earned a 1-1 tie against the Indians in an SCC Hammonasset Division matchup. Guilford netted the first goal of the day just 5:04 into the game. However, Howard scored a goal 31:01 into the first half to knot it up at 1, which held up as the final score.
Hand features a trio of senior captains leading the way this year. The Tigers’ captains are goalkeeper Morgan Lipford, who won the Team Leadership award last fall; as well as Tara Henry, a central midfielder; and Francesca Antoni, who is also a midfielder. Coach Dikranian said that his captains play with a certain swagger, but also have the selflessness and heart that are needed to be quality leaders.
“Morgan is a vocal captain and involved with her teammates. She is a confident and bold leader, and the girls love her presence,” said Dikranian. “Tara is a very confident and talented player. She has a good way of interacting with her teammates. You can tell she cares about everyone. Francesca is one of our hardest-working players. She is positive and supportive of her teammates.”
The Tigers’ defense is being led by starting center back Sam Riordan, a junior who was named the team’s Most Valuable Player last year; along with freshman Ella Skonieczny. Senior Hayley Dean is starting as an outside defender. Junior Caroline Pfaff, an outside back, is one of the most improved players on the roster, according to Coach Dikranian.
Hand has junior Chloe Thompson patrolling the midfield alongside Henry and Antoni. At the forward position, junior Kayla Howard returns after making the All-SCC Team season and is accompanied by junior Chloe Silva and sophomore Julia Kuhn.
Junior Isabel Craven is also in the mix at midfielder for the Tigers. Seniors Sara Bernal-Garcia and Grace McFadden are newcomers on the varsity roster. Junior Olivia Travisano is backing up Lipford in net. Coach Dikranian said one of the keys to the season is finding players who can provide depth and play meaningful minutes. He added that another key is the development of some the younger players who’ve made a positive first impression on the coaching staff.
“[Seniors] Jillian Kottage and Alex Fischer will challenge for playing time and could provide depth,” Dikranian said. “[Sophomore] Anna Cohen and [freshmen] Mia Forti, Karleigh Kokoruda, Abby Leckey, and Adelia McGuire will need time to develop and adjust to high-school soccer, but they have a tremendous amount of potential and could see meaningful minutes during the season.”
Dikranian is in his fifth year as Hand’s head coach. He’s assisted by Michael Moore, plus volunteer assistants Brett Donohgue and Bob Dikranian.