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05/27/2019 12:00 AMAll year long, the Guilford girls’ lacrosse team has been showing the rest of the state why it’s one of the most formidable foes in both the SCC and Class M ranks. In the first phase of the playoffs, the Indians validated their case and made major history when they claimed the program’s first outright conference crown with a dramatic 11-10 overtime win versus Cheshire in the title game.
The Indians steamrolled through the regular season by finishing with a program-best record of 14-2 to earn the No. 2 seed and a quarterfinal round bye in the SCC Tournament. Guilford then earned a 17-6 win versus No. 6 seed in the semis to reach its first SCC final since 2015.
On May 25, the Indians traveled to West Haven for a championship matchup against a top-seeded Cheshire team that was riding a 12-game win streak. Guilford stood toe to toe with the Rams and rallied for an 11-10 victory in overtime when junior Catherine Larrow scored the game-winning goal off a Cheshire turnover with 11.8 seconds remaining in the extra session.
The win marked the first time that the Indians were the sole victors of the SCC Tournament by prevailing in the final. In 2002, Guilford shared the title with Branford when both teams won their semifinal contests, but no championship game was played.
“It means the world to score that goal and win SCCs for the first time. We were all just hustling in the last moments, and it worked out great,” said Larrow, whose team has a record of 16-2 as its opens play in the Class M State Tournament this week. “I am so happy to be the one to score the goal, but credit to my teammates for getting the ball back. To be the first Guilford team to win SCCs is amazing, and we will bring this energy into states.”
Freshman goalie Sydney Wildlitz made 11 saves against Cheshire in the final and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the SCC Tournament. Senior Nicolette Spotlow, Larrow, and freshman Maddie Epke earned All-SCC First Team honors for Guilford this year, while senior Maddie Costantino and junior Maggie Mandel each made the Second Team.
Larrow and Epke both scored three goals for the Indians in the final. Sophomore Hannah Tillier and Costantino netted two goals apiece, while sophomore Sydney Cunningham also scored a goal. Both of Tillier’s goals came in the second half, including one with less than two minutes left to tie the score and ultimately send the game to overtime. Senior captain Nicole Tepley, senior Caroline Fitzgerald, Spotlow, and Costantino each contributed an assist in the victory.
“I feel so honored and privileged to be part of a group of girls that put it all on the line to bring this championship to Guilford. The talent and heart of this team is immeasurable, and it is an experience I will hold close to me for the rest of my life,” Costantino said. “From the start of the season, we worked tirelessly to get to this championship and, now that we’ve made it, we are going to bring the same amount of focus and effort to states.”
The Indians, who had taken a 16-13 defeat to Cheshire during the regular season, got out to a strong start in the SCC final and held a 3-1 lead with 20:50 to play in the first half. Guilford increased its lead to 5-2, before Cheshire (16-2) answered with three-straight goals to tie the score at 5-5 with 8:36 remaining until halftime.
Cheshire capped off a 6-0 scoring spurt by scoring the next three goals to take an 8-5 advantage with 3:55 to play in the half. The Indians stopped the Rams’ run by scoring the last goal of the half to make it 8-6 at intermission.
“We were winning the draws and doing a good job in the circle, but we were just making mistakes in transition,” Head Coach Wendy Epke said. “I told them to just calm down, do what we usually do, and we can do something with that.”
Cheshire was up 9-8 with 17:53 remaining in regulation, but Tillier knotted the score at 9 when she found the back of the net just 54 seconds later. The game stayed tied until Cheshire scored a goal to grab a 10-9 edge with 6:24 to go in the game. With time winding down, Tillier tied the score at 10-10 when she buried a goal with 1:57 on the clock. Neither team was able to score the go-ahead score in regulation, so the game went to overtime to determine the champion.
In the waning seconds of the OT period, Cheshire tried to bring the ball up the turf, but Tepley forced the Rams to turn it over at midfield. Larrow caught a pass from Spotlow, sprinted toward the Cheshire net, and then faked out the Rams’ keeper to score the game-winning goal with 11.8 seconds left and give Guilford its first outright SCC title.
“It’s still a little surprising to me to win SCCs, but this is a special group of girls who practice and try so hard,” said Coach Epke. “Many of them have been playing together since 3rd grade at least, and it’s just been a fun season so far.”
Guilford had advanced to the SCC final by notching a 17-6 home victory over No. 6 seed Sheehan in the semifinal round on May 2. Costantino scored six goals, while Spotlow turned in a five-goal performance in the win. Larrow had two goals and two assists. Fitzgerald scored a pair of goals, and Tillier added a goal. Widlitz made seven saves for the Indians.
From the Sidelines
The Guilford girls’ lacrosse team’s roster features senior captain Nicole Tepley; fellow seniors Brianna Blakeman, Trinity Ireland, Solace Porter, Caroline Fitzgerald, Maddie Costantino, Erin Norton, and Nicolette Spotlow; juniors Ava Bucci, Catherine Larrow, and Maggie Mandel; sophomores Ella Kagan, Madden Cunningham, Jordan Filley, Katelyn Russell, Hannah Tillier, Izzy Gurnham, Sydney Cunningham, Kelly Calistro, and Devyn Kalama; and freshmen Maddie Epke, Taylor Farace, Olivia Skapczynski, and Sydney Widlitz.
The Indians had previously competed in the SCC Tournament final in 2015, when they took an 18-6 defeat against Hand. Guilford also lost in the SCC final in 2012 (18-9 to Cheshire), 2008 (15-10 to Hand), and 2001 (16-8 to Cheshire). In 2002, Guilford earned a 9-3 win over Hand in the SCC semifinals and was then declared co-champions with Branford after no title game was played.
For the regular season, Guilford earned wins versus Lauralton Hall (17-4 and 17-6), East Lyme (14-6), West Haven (20-6), Branford (9-8), Sheehan (17-8), North Haven (20-5), Sacred Heart Academy (20-6), Fairfield Warde (13-9), Hand (10-7), McMahon (19-10), Mercy (19-9), Southington (11-3), and North Branford (17-5).