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01/15/2020 11:00 PMAva Galdenzi started playing field hockey at a young age with a goal of competing for Head Coach Babby Nuhn’s squad at North Branford High School. Ava’s mother Kathy Galdenzi is an assistant coach for North Branford, and Ava was eager to follow in her mother’s footsteps by suiting up for the Thunderbirds.
“My mom and her cousin both played for Nuhn, so they got me involved in field hockey at a young age. My mom started as an assistant my freshman year at the school, and I’m really grateful,” says Ava. “It meant a lot. We all know Nuhn is a wonderful coach, so I was excited to be with her, because she’s such an amazing person.”
Ava worked hard on her craft as a forward and typically had the ball on her stick. Ava spent hours working on her stickhandling skills and had a knack for weaving her way through the opposing defense to strike at the goal.
“I’ve been playing since 2nd grade, and I try to play year-round, so I put a lot of work into it. I also work on my skills in my driveway,” says Ava. “It kind of comes naturally, because I’ve been doing it for so long. Certain skills I had to work on with Nuhn, like reverse shots on goal, because they’re hard for a goalie to defend.”
Ava recently finished her career with North Branford by leading the team as a senior captain. She posted 30 goals with 11 assists while helping the T-Birds go 20-1-1, claim their third-straight Shoreline Conference championship, and then advance to the Class S state final. Ava earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team and All-State First Team honors for the second year in a row, in addition to being named the Shoreline Conference Player of the Year.
“I wasn’t really expecting it to be as successful, because I started the season slow. In general, I don’t focus on the stats. I only care about the outcome of the game,” Ava says. “But it means so much to me, because the Shoreline Conference is so competitive, and we have a lot of amazing players. It’s an honor to be recognized.”
Coach Nuhn appreciates the big impact that Ava had on her program. Nuhn says she loved the attitude that Ava brought to both practices and games on a day-in, day-out basis.
“Ava epitomizes excellence in field hockey. Not only does she have the keen ability to precisely put the ball in the net past very talented goalies, she also demonstrates excellence with her graceful stickwork as she speeds down the left side of the field, thwarting her opponents,” Coach Nuhn says. “Ava was a strong contributor from the first day I saw her play in middle school. Each year, she progressed with more intensity and specific skill development. She was always yearning to learn new skills and adaptations to improve her personal game.”
Ava served as one of the captains for Coach Nuhn’s club last fall, and it was a role that she was happy to have. Ava embraced the responsibility that came with being a captain.
“It was a great honor. Nuhn makes her captains not just have a title, but gives them a lot of responsibility,” says Ava. “I knew it would be a challenge, but I was ready to put my best effort into it and had a great time leading this team this year. I think throughout the years we all grew together and became one big family. We didn’t want to win for ourselves, but for our teammates. That pushed us through the season.”
Ultimately, the Thunderbirds pushed all the way to championship game of the Class S State Tournament, where they took a 1-0 loss to Granby. North Branford’s run through states came on the heels of its 2-1 win against Westbrook in the Shoreline Conference final.
“This season was an incredible one,” Ava says. “I’m super proud of how we came out to get so far this year.”
Aside from field hockey, Ava is also a member of the North Branford girls’ tennis team. Last year, she joined forces with Briana Dautaj to play No. 1 doubles for the Thunderbirds. While Ava enjoys tennis, field hockey is in her future as she’s going to continue her career at Wesleyan University.
“I knew I wanted to play in college, so I did a showcase in Massachusetts for Division III schools and came into contact with a few coaches,” Ava. “I made my decision based on the school, not just field hockey. It’s a great academic school and close to home, so I can come home to be with my family.”