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12/11/2021 11:00 PMWith seven seniors on his roster, Head Coach Pete Frye felt that the Branford field hockey team was determined to become a top squad in the Southern Connecticut Conference this season. Led by a staunch defense and an explosive offense, the Hornets achieved that goal and showed that they’ll be a force to be reckoned with going forward.
Branford finished with an overall record of 12-6-0-1 for the 2021 campaign. The Hornets qualified for both the SCC Tournament and the Class M State Tournament, earning a quarterfinal victory in the conference bracket.
“Every year, we want to go deep into the State Tournament. That’s the ultimate goal,” Coach Frye said. “But really the goal is to grow as a team. We want to get better every single game.”
Branford went 11-4-0-1 during the regular season this year. Coach Frye said that he was most impressed with the Hornets’ 1-0 victory over Hand and their 1-0 win against eventual Class S state champion North Branford. Branford’s regular season also saw the team go on an eight-game win streak in which every victory was a shutout.
Even taking into account his state semifinal team from 2017, Coach Frye felt that the Hornets put together their best regular season in his tenure this fall.
“I think this year we had the most successful regular season we have ever had. That includes when we went to the semifinals at states in 2017. I thought we had a more successful regular season this year,” said Frye. “We had some real quality wins. I was very happy with our season, and we were peaking right at the end.”
Branford qualified for the SCC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and hosted No. 5 Hand in the quarterfinals. With the Hornets trailing 1-0, senior captain Lenora Longway scored a goal on assists from fellow senior captain Julia McHenry and junior Lauren McCarthy to tie the game. In the third quarter, Longway assisted a goal by junior Scout Engstrom to put Branford up 2-1, which held up as the final score.
After taking a 4-1 loss to top-seeded Guilford in the SCC semifinals, Branford opened the Class M State Tournament as the No. 6 seed and played a home game against No. 11 Hand in the first round. It was the second time that the teams squared off in a 10-day period, but the Tigers came away with a 3-0 victory this time around.
“Our first quarter against Guilford, I thought we dominated. We really played well in that game. We didn’t extend it for the whole game, but I was really happy with our play there,” Coach Frye said of Branford’s SCC semifinal game. “The State Tournament was kind of an unlucky draw. We had to play Hand, who I thought was one of the top four teams in the Class M, for the second time in 10 days. To their credit, Hand was really aggressive. Their goalie was the difference in the game.”
Coach Frye said that Branford played strong defense all season. Led by senior captain Nina Shamas in goal, the Hornets’ defensive unit bolstered the team throughout the year.
However, it took some time for Branford to find its rhythm on offense. Outside of a 5-0 win against Hamden, the Hornets scored no more than two goals in their first eight games of the season. However, once the offense began to jell, the Hornets started clicking as a team. When the campaign came to a close, Branford finished fourth in the SCC with 34 goals scored on the year.
“We started to grow into an offensive force. At the beginning, we were averaging less than a goal a game. It’s tough to play games and not score. We ended up being the fourth-highest scoring team in the SCC,” said Frye. “Our defense was always pretty strong. We knew we had some older kids and Nina in our goal. We had eight shutouts in a row.”
Longway, McHenry, and Shamas served as Branford’s senior captains this season. Longway made the All-SCC First Team and the All-State First Team, while McHenry earned All-SCC Second Team honors on behalf of the Hornets.
Coach Frye has known Longway for many years and said that she’s developed into a dominant force on the field. Frye went on to say that McHenry proved a strong leader and a focal point of Branford’s midfield. Branford’s coach added that Shamas was an ideal captain who dedicated herself to the sport and gave a big lift to the Hornets’ defense.
Senior Katie Laska was a starting defender for Branford this year. Coach Frye said that Laska improved tremendously during her time in the program and has done a great job throughout her entire career.
Frye also complimented seniors Catalina Brown, Ava Brunner, and Olivia Salerno for serving as tremendous leaders. He said that the Hornets wouldn’t have been as successful as they were this season without their support.
While the Hornets had numerous difference makers in their senior class, Coach Frye feels that Branford is still well-stocked as the team moves into the future. The Hornets have a strong junior class that’s headlined by Engstrom, Lauren Kendrick, Aryana Wilson, McCarthy, and Gianna Bozzi. Engstrom made All-SCC and All-State First Team, and Kendrick garnered All-SCC and All-State Second Team accolades for Branford. Wilson was also an All-SCC Second Team honoree.
Throughout the year, Branford had to change up its lineup as the team looked to find the right fit. In doing so, sophomore Mia d’Amuri had an opportunity to start on offense. Sophomore Reanna Sachs saw ample time on defense, and fellow sophomore Ellie Wieland filled in as a super sub all over the field for Branford. With all the experience that the returning Hornets gained this year, Coach Frye is hoping that will pay dividends for his team when they come back in 2022.
“At the beginning of the year, we had to retool our front line. We had to move some girls up that really hadn’t played the position. We had to rely on some sophomores that needed to grow real fast. That happened,” Frye said. “We’re going to lose a lot of really good seniors, but we will be restocked with a lot of really talented players.”
As he looks ahead to next year, Coach Frye wants the Hornets to keep proving that they belong in the conversation among the top programs in the SCC. With numerous veterans returning from a solid season, Frye believes that his team has earned its seat at the table.
“Since I’ve been the coach of Branford, we’ve always been in the SCC’s second tier. It’s a good tier to be in, but we’re in a tier that’s below the Cheshires, the Hands, the Guilfords. This year, the girls moved themselves into the next tier,” said Frye. “We can compete with anybody, any game. That’s where we want to be. The work is going to be done to stay in that tier. We’re going to be there next year.”
The Branford field hockey team’s roster features senior captains Lenora Longway, Julia McHenry, and Nina Shamas; seniors Ava Brunner, Katie Laska, Catalina Brown, and Olivia Salerno; juniors Lauren McCarthy, Lauren Kendrick, Aryana Wilson, Gianna Bonanno, Scout Engstrom, Gabriella Morrotti, and Gianna Bozzi; sophomores Allison McCarthy, Sophia Taranto, Iva Sekerovic, Rachel Esposito, Mia d’Amuri, Ellie Wieland, Isabella Kelly, Mariah Fazzino, Reanna Sachs, and Julia Bozzi; and freshmen Thalia Zweeres, Randee Chobian, Cheyenne Wilson, Sydney Dahl, and Eliza Burgess.