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11/21/2021 11:00 PMThe Guilford field hockey team entered the Class M State Tournament as the clear-cut favorite to win it all, and the Grizzlies certainly demonstrated why that was the case with their performance during the tournament. Guilford put forth a dominating performance by winning all four of its state tourney games via shutout to claim its third-straight Class M state title.
Guilford clinched the crown with a 4-0 victory versus Wethersfield in the championship game of the Class M State Tournament at Wethersfield High School on Nov. 20. Junior Grace Barlage scored two goals for Guilford, while senior captain Maddie Epke had three assists in the win. Senior captain Allie Petonito and senior Isabel Matthews netted the other scores for the Grizzlies, who saw senior goalie Julia McDonald make two saves to get the shutout in net.
Guilford, which had recently won its fourth-straight SCC title, finished with an overall record of 22-1 after allowing just one goal throughout its entire postseason run this fall.
“These last few weeks have been an amazing run for our team defensively. Out of the last seven playoff games—four in states and three in SCCs—only one goal was scored against us, and that was a penalty shot,” Head Coach Kitty Palmer said. “The entire team was totally focused on continually producing offense, keeping their stick on ball, and making good passes.”
Guilford was the No. 1 seed in the Class M bracket and started off the draw by earning shutouts over No. 16 New Milford (7-0) and No. 8 Avon (6-0) in the first two rounds. Then last week, the Grizzlies faced No. 4 seed Pomperaug in a semifinal game at Amity High School and posted another shutout with a 6-0 victory on Nov. 16.
Epke opened the scoring five minutes into the game when she buried a goal off a pass from Petonito. Junior MJ Santa Barbara put the Grizzlies up 2-0 just before the end of the first half by scoring off a tip of a shot by Epke.
Junior Ella Clarke made it 3-0 in the second half when she scored off a tip of another Epke shot. Shortly thereafter, sophomore Payton Root and Santa Barbara each scored a goal on assists from Clarke. Junior Kim Evans netted the final goal of the contest on a pass from Epke. McDonald made one save for the shutout.
Four days later, Guilford squared off against No. 2 seed Wethersfield in the Class M state final and claimed a 4-0 win to capture the team’s third-consecutive state championship and the fifth in program history. Following a scoreless first half, Barlage scored the first goal of the game on an Epke assist to put Guilford up 1-0. Barlage netted her second goal of the contest when she tipped home an Epke shot during the fourth quarter for a 2-0 advantage. Petonito and Matthews scored the final two goals of the day to solidify another convincing victory for Coach Palmer’s squad.
“We played a lot of offense and tired the other team out, playing so much defense. I was very proud of how each player performed for the team,” said Palmer. “My favorite moment was when the final clock said zero, and this team had accomplished all that I had hoped for them. In those hot days in August, when it seemed so far to November, I knew the team had the skill to do great things. It was up to me, the other coaches, and the players to work to get there.”
Petonito felt proud about how Guilford overcame its biggest setback of the season on its way to claiming state gold. The Grizzlies took their lone loss of the year with a 6-0 defeat against Darien on Oct. 9, but responded by winning their final 13 games of the campaign. Petonito said the Darien game motivated Guilford to perform at its highest potential for the remainder of the season.
“At the beginning of the season, it took some time for the team to learn to play together. There were some younger players that were stepping up to varsity positions,” Petonito said. “But after the Darien game, where we learned what a championship team looked like, we became a better working unit. We are all very proud of how the team performed when the games were the biggest.”
Petonito is part of a big senior class that also features fellow captain Epke, along with Julia McDonald, Matthews, Caroline Kane, Tessa Dahlberg, Jadeyn Violette, Olivia McDonald, Daniella Vickerman, Ava Singleton, and Haley Fulton.
In addition to Barlage, Evans, Santa Barbara, and Clarke, the Grizzlies’ junior corps also includes Scout Climie, Gigi Meneo, Sami Green, Sadie Huffman, Lia Constantini, Erin Hargraves, Alex Gascoff, and Delaney Victor.
Along with Root, Tania Evans and Eliza Chamberlain are sophomores on the squad.
“There were so many great player performances throughout the tournament,” Palmer said. “We always had the steady defense of Julia and Olivia McDonald, Scout Climie, Caroline Kane, Delaney Victor, Ava Singleton, Sam Green, Haley Fulton, and Tessa Dahlberg. The offense was generated by our midfield of Maddie Epke, Allie Petonito, Payton Root, Jadeyn Violette, and Gigi Meneo.”
Coach Palmer was assisted by assistant coaches Tara Slowik, Katie Jankura, and Kiernan Willis this year.
“I am so proud of my coaching staff. They came with great ideas every day and, as all of them are past Guilford field hockey players, they wanted so much for their alma mater to succeed,” Palmer said. “They love Guilford field hockey and the girls as much as I do, and the players and I are so lucky to have them.”