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10/10/2021 12:00 AMThe Branford field hockey squad is undefeated in its last five games and has shut out every team in its path along the way. After making some adjustments at the beginning of the season, Head Coach Pete Frye wants to see the Hornets keep buying into the system and continue playing as a cohesive group in order to finish the year strong.
Branford posted shutout victories against North Haven and Shelton in last week’s action. In their first game of the week, the Hornets blanked North Haven by a 3-0 score in a road game. Junior Lauren Kendrick had two goals for Branford in the win, while fellow junior Scout Engstrom scored a goal to go with two assists. Senior Nora Longway added an assist for the Hornets.
Then on Oct. 9, Branford hosted Shelton on a special day for the program. The game was dedicated to Cathy McGuirk, the longtime head coach of the Branford field hockey team who passed away earlier this year. McGuirk’s husband John, who coached alongside her, attended the game as Coach Frye spoke about her legacy. The Hornets honored that legacy by playing a great game that saw them come away with a 4-0 victory versus Shelton.
Senior captain Julia McHenry scored two goals for Branford, which also received one goal apiece from Engstrom and sophomore Mia d’Amuri. Senior captain goalie Nina Shamas made one save to get the shutout for the Hornets, who improved their record to 7-2-0-1.
“North Haven, we played OK. Shelton was a much-better game, possession wise. We’ve been shutting teams out. This is our fifth in a row. Our defense is showing signs of coming of age,” Coach Frye said. “Last year, our goalie took triple the amount of shots of anybody else in the conference. Our defense is stepping up, so she isn’t taking as many shots, and Nina is doing her job in goal. It’s a perfect storm, and we’re on an upwards trend.”
Branford has outscored its opponents by a 10-0 differential in its last five contests. Coach Frye said that Shamas, who made All-SCC and All-State last season, has proved crucial in the Hornets’ defensive resurgence. However, Frye also noted that the players in front of Shamas are doing excellent work, too, by keeping opponents out of Branford’s zone.
Junior Lauren McCarthy and sophomore Reanna Sachs are two of the players who are preventing offensive opportunities by the opposition. Junior Gianna Bozzi, who was recently moved back to defense, has also helped to stabilize that unit. Between those three and the trio of senior Katie Laska, junior Aryana Wilson, and sophomore Ellie Wieland, Frye said that the Hornets’ defensive corps is shining on the field right now.
Following an overtime loss to Sacred Heart Academy in the third game of the season, Coach Frye started making adjustments both positionally and in terms of how the team plays overall. Throughout this recent hot streak, the Hornets have acclimated nicely to those adjustments and are seeing their efforts pay off in the win column.
“We have five girls that are literally playing new positions from last year. After the Sacred Heart game earlier this year, it was clear we needed to make adjustments in the way we played. It took a little while to get used to that. Now, they’re really settling in,” said Frye. “We’ve had no complaints, which is a sign of maturity. It shows senior leadership. They’ve embraced it and understand we needed to make changes to get where we needed to be.”
Kendrick and McHenry are two of the players who made a position change. After previously playing in the midfield, they’ve been moved up to the wing positions, flanking Engstrom in the middle. With Longway and d’Amuri patrolling the midfield, Coach Frye said that Branford’s offensive weapons are beginning to click as they learn on the fly.
Even though the Hornets are on a win streak, Frye understands that there’s always room for improvement. With six games remaining in the regular season, the Hornets are ready to keep putting in the work in their quest to reach their true potential.
“I like where we are, but it’s dangerous to say that. You’re always looking to improve every single week,” Frye said. “But I really like where we’re trending. We have had low-scoring games that are hard-fought, and it looks like that’s what our identity is this year. That’s what we are.”
Coach Frye knows that the Hornets need to focus on getting better with every single day. With momentum on Branford’s side, Frye is hoping that continual improvement will have the Hornets playing at their peak in the playoffs.
“We have to continually keep moving forward. We have to get one percent better each day. We have to keep working as a team and keep leaning on each other,” said Frye. “Moving forward each and every day is how we will get to where we want to be by the end of the season.”