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Guilford Boys’ Soccer Had a Banner Season in 2019

The Guilford boys’ soccer team put together a storybook season in Curtis Gullette’s first year as the Indians’ head coach. Guilford claimed the SCC Hammonaset Division title during the regular season and then had a memorable postseason that saw the squad win the SCC Tournament for the first time in a decade. The Indians went on to notch three victories in the Class L State Tournament to advance to the semifinal round, where they lost to Hand on penalty kicks.

When all was said and done, Guilford finished with an excellent record of 15-2-6 this fall. While his team came up shy of taking the state title, Coach Gullette was proud of his squad for making 2019 a memorable year.

“Before we dropped that first ball, the goal was to go out and win it all. I thought we had put together the type of team that could do it,” said Gullette. “We had outstanding goalkeeping where [senior captain] John Kosh allowed only 10 goals in 22 games, we had a stout defense where we could rotate as many as six players, and we had enough strength up front to score and then hold teams off.”

The Indians opened their season with a 2-2 tie against Hand before winning their next three games to stand at 3-0-1 entering a meeting against Cheshire. A 1-0 loss to the Rams marked the only defeat that Guilford would take during a regular season that saw the team go 9-1-6. In fact, the Indians didn’t take another loss through their next 17 contests.

Things weren’t always easy for Guilford during that stretch. The Indians fell behind in seven of those games, but came back to win six of them to go along with a tie.

“Our team just showed its determination and spirit,” Coach Gullette said. “Typically, you never want to fall behind in any game, but whenever we did, we stuck to the game-plan and never panicked.”

Guilford’s biggest moments of the season came during the SCC Tournament, where the Indians recorded three dramatic victories to take the title. In the quarterfinals, junior forward Anthony Ippolito scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift Guilford to a 2-1 win versus Wilbur Cross. Guilford went on to notch a 2-1 semifinal victory against Xavier by winning the decisive penalty kick session by a 4-2 margin.

Then in the final, Ippolito netted the only goal of the game when the Indians blanked Hand by a 1-0 score to claim the conference championship. Ippolito, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the SCC Tournament, finished the season with five goals and two assists. He also received Guilford’s Sportsmanship Award.

“He’s been described as a cold-blooded scorer,” said Gullette of Ippolito. “Almost every time when he was able to create a one-on-one situation with a goalie, he was able to score. He’s just such a cool, composed kid who knows how to finish.”

Gullette served as Guilford’s interim coach for part of the 2018 season before taking the reins on a full-time basis this year. As a program alum, it was especially sweet for Gullette that the Indians captured the SCC crown.

“So many people came up to me afterward and said how great it was for Guilford to beat its biggest rival for the title,” Gullette said. “It’s a huge rivalry between us and Hand. Both towns have become hotbeds for soccer over the years. I remember when I played for Guilford, there wasn’t a bigger game all year long than the one we had with Hand.”

Goalkeeping and defense were the hallmarks for an Indians’ squad that allowed an average of just 0.45 goals per game. Senior captain goalie John Kosh had an outstanding season in net on his way to making the All-SCC First Team, the New Haven Register All-Area Team, and earning a spot to compete in the Senior Bowl. On top of that, Kosh was named Guilford’s Most Valuable Player.

“Not only was John a solid goalie who didn’t have to make a ton of saves because of our defense, but he’s a super person, as well,” said Gullette. “But when John was called upon to keep us in a game, he was able to do it.”

One such occurrence took place in the SCC final when Hand’s Scott Testori broke down the left wing and attempted to beat Kosh to the far post. Kosh held his ground, cut down the angle, and made a diving save to his right. Kosh’s crucial stop came when Guilford was clinging to a 1-0 lead with less than three minutes to play in the game.

Guilford’s defense was anchored by junior captain Aidan Buchanan, who used his size and strength to his advantage on the pitch. Like Kosh, Buchanan was named to both the All-SCC First Team and the Register’s All-Area Team.

“Aidan is such a versatile player that we were able to move him around,” Coach Gullette said. “Some games, I played him in the midfield, and we could also bring him all the way up.”

The Indians’ defensive corps also featured seniors Cade Yerkes, Jack Clancy, and William Johnstone, along with sophomore Theodore Freeman.

“Cade was another one of those very strong kids who knew how to defend well,” said Gullette. “Having other players back there gave us the chance to bring Aidan upfield on certain situations.”

Guilford was bolstered by scoring strength in the midfield this season. A good deal of it came from junior Niall O’Brien, who recorded seven goals and two assists on his way to garnering All-SCC Second Team accolades. Fellow junior Evan Lemon scored three goals and dished out seven assists.

“Niall was our guy in the middle. He could play with his back to the ball very well and had good range on his kicks,” Gullette said. “Evan has deceptive speed, and he was able to combine it well with creative play.”

Up front, Gullette counted on senior Devlin Ahlefeld and sophomore Cal Stephens at the forward position. Both athletes made a big impact for the Indians despite missing some time with injuries.

“Cal had a great start for us and had six goals and three assists before he got hurt and missed almost half of our games,” said Gullette.

It was just the opposite for Ahlefeld, who missed the first five games of the year, but came back to score seven goals to go with one assist.

“Devlin was one of our hottest players late in the season,” Gullette said. “He scored big goals when we needed him to.”

Guilford is losing Kosh and several members of its defensive unit to graduation heading into next season. However, the Indians will still return plenty of savvy veterans when they try to take the final step by winning a state championship in 2020.

“I’m already having positive thoughts about next year,” said Gullette. “We came so far this past season. It was a great season.”

• The 2019 Guilford boys’ soccer team’s roster featured senior captain John Kosh, seniors Cade Yerkes, Devlin Ahlefeld, Will Ian, Noah Killheffer, Jake Conklin, Jack Clancy, William Johnston, and Noah Kosh; junior captain Aidan Buchanan, juniors Joseph Mirrione, Niall O’Brien, Evan Lemon, Anthony Ippolito, Miles Montalvo, Camilo Carmona, Aidan Medvecky, Michael Malatesta, and Nathaniel Pizzuti; sophomores Theodore Freeman, Jacob Pinckney, and Cal Stephens; and freshmen Justin Hess and William Rice.

• Curtis Gullette completed his first full season as the Indians’ head coach. Guilford’s assistant coaches are Andrew Ibarra and Lou Monaco.

• Guilford finished with a record of 9-1-6 during the regular season. The Indians notched two victories versus Career-Hillhouse (5-0 and 4-1) and Foran (3-1 and 1-0) to go with one win apiece against Xavier (2-0), Hamden (2-0), Fairfield Prep (2-1), Amity (2-1), and Cheshire (1-0). Guilford earned two ties with Hand (2-2 and 0-0) and also played to draws against Xavier (0-0), Hamden (0-0), Fairfield Prep (0-0), and Amity (1-1). The Indians also went 6-0-2 in the SCC Hammonasset Division to win the division title.

• Guilford claimed its first SCC title since 2009 and its seventh overall by winning the SCC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Indians earned a 2-1 overtime victory versus No. 7 seed Wilbur Cross in the quarterfinals, posted a 2-1 (4-2 on PKs) win over No. 3 Xavier in the semis, and then defeated top-seeded Hand by a 1-0 score in the final.

• Guilford advanced to the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Indians defeated No. 25 seed Foran (1-0) in the first round, No. 24 Masuk (4-0) in the second round, and top-seeded Bristol Eastern (1-0) in the quarterfinals. Guilford took a 2-1 (4-3 on PKs) loss against No. 4 seed Hand in the semifinals to finish the season with an overall record of 15-2-6.