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06/21/2018 12:00 AMJessie Kilburn turned in a dominant season for the North Branford girls’ lacrosse team this spring. The junior helped the Thunderbirds make program history, while earning some impressive individual accolades along the way.
Jessie scored 49 goals to go with 10 assists en route to being an All-Conference and All-State First Team selection for North Branford, which won the Shoreline Conference Tournament for the first time with a 10-7 victory versus Old Lyme. Jessie was also selected as the conference’s Player of the Year.
“It was an honor to receive this award. I truly just wasn’t expecting it,” says Jessie, who scored four goals in the Shoreline final. “I was so excited to have this award and also having Coach Connelly by my side having the Coach of the Year. I really couldn’t even get this award without my teammates, because they’re always there for me.”
Jessie was presented with her award alongside T-Birds’ Head Coach Lori Connelly, who was named the Shoreline Conference Coach of the Year. Connelly says that Jessie proved a great leader for her team this season. She expects more of the same when Jessie steps back on the field as a senior.
“She is the epitome of an all-around teammate. She always works hard, never gives up, and picks up her teammates when they are down,” says Connelly. “She always shows sportsmanship, leads by example, and is extremely humble about her amazing lacrosse abilities.”
Jessie makes an impact all over the field while playing the midfielder’s position for North Branford. Jessie focuses a lot of her energy on winning face-offs, and she works hard to make sure the T-Birds are constantly in possession of the ball.
“I’ve been working on the draw a lot, because my sister was a center and draw person. I’ve been able to take them for the team and play both defense and offense. When Emmy [Norton] and Jazzy [Coleman] are on the circle, they truly help me, because they always have my back on the draw,” says Jessie. “In the offseason, I always work on my wrist strength, which helps with the draw. I practice that four times per week and that helps me win draws against my opponents. I truly want to do the best for my team, so we can bring it down on attack and score.”
This year, North Branford featured a balanced offensive attack in which five players scored more than 30 goals. Jessie likes that everyone on the team embraced the concept of sharing the wealth.
“I know everybody on this team is so selfless. I love that,” she says. “Everyone assists and everyone scores. It all depends on the game and who is on or off. It’s amazing that everyone had about the same amount of goals.”
Aside from lacrosse, Jessie also plays soccer and basketball at North Branford. All three of Jessie’s teams had great seasons this year, and she feels proud to be part of the T-Birds’ winning tradition. Jessie made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team while helping the girls’ soccer squad win the conference tourney in the fall, after which she earned All-Conference Honorable Mention in basketball this winter.
“I was so happy we won the Shoreline Conference for soccer and lacrosse, and we made it pretty far in basketball,” says Jessie. “It’s just great to be winning with your team. It feels so good and we’re having so much fun.”
Jessie was also named a captain for her basketball and lacrosse teams this year—and she didn’t take the role lightly. Jessie says that she really found her niche as a leader with the lacrosse team in the spring.
“Being an upperclassman, you are a leader. The seniors taught me so much about being a captain. I can’t wait to fill their shows next year, as well. They taught me so much about how I affect every player on the team,” says Jessie. “I love being a leader, because I can spread positivity around. We had 40 girls [on the lacrosse team] this year, which is a lot, and it takes a lot to have this team bond. We had such a great team bond this year, which is one of the reasons we got so far this season.”