Hunter Oliva, Sports Reporter
@holivacourant
Featured image contributed by Perranos
The Field Hockey team began the CIAC tournament with a 6-0 win against Cheshire on November 5, and began to prepare for their matchup with 1st seeded Branford in the Quarterfinals on November 7.
Going into the game, the girls had hope because they had already played Branford before, losing 2-1 on October 5. “We’re going to review the films from our first Branford game because they play similarly to us,” said Senior Captain Meredith Knauf.
However, they lost another hard fought game to Branford 2–0, ending their season. Despite the loss, the girls’ run to qualify for the playoffs remains impressive.
They started the regular season off strong, beating teams like Brian McMahon, Norwalk and Danbury to get off to a 6-3 start. However, after their win over St. Joe’s on October 2, the girls lost seven out of their next eight games, including the loss to Branford.
Throughout tough moments during the season, Head Coach Megan Cunningham remained encouraging. “Our coach was really supportive,” Senior Captain Serena O’Connor said. “If we needed a break at practice, we could walk with her; the team felt that it was really comforting utilizing that. It was something that really helped the team come together again.”
Photo by Perranos.
Senior Captain Cara Passios also remained positive. “The harder teams we faced were some of the most beneficial games because it showed us even though we lost, we were playing at a really high level, and still were connecting very well,” said Cara.
The girls kept fighting, and a key tie to Fairfield Warde in the second to last game helped them qualify for the CIAC tournament. “We’ve all had a positive mindset and that pushed us to work harder. That work paid off as we made it to states,” Senior Captain Ella Healey said.
The girls failed to qualify for FCIACs, but their six wins kept their postseason dreams alive and gave them a chance in the CIAC tournament.
