Photo by: Gretchen Mcahon
Molly Holmstead, Editor
A year ago, New Canaan girls soccer stunned the state by winning both the FCIAC and Class LL State Championships, despite entering the season labeled as a “sleeper team.” They finished 18-3-1, knocking off St. Joseph for the first time in nine years, and only allowed eight goals during the regular season behind a senior-heavy back line and three-year starting goalkeeper Chrysi Gabriel, who graduated last June.
This fall, the Rams faced a different reality: nearly their entire starting line had graduated. Twelve seniors had moved on. Expectations outside the program dropped. Yet New Canaan responded with another deep postseason run, finishing 13-4-2 and returning to the state semifinals. The Rams beat several top teams they had lost to a year earlier and developed a new identity behind an entirely new defensive unit and first-year starting goalkeeper senior Larkin Celiberti
Celiberti delivered one of the team’s biggest performances of the season with six saves in the state quarterfinals against FCIAC champion St. Joseph, a game sealed by a clutch penalty kick from star junior forward Clare Greisen. Both of these players made first team all FCIAC, along with junior defender Kathleen Langford and freshman Giana Mazotas.
Photo by: Gretchen Mcahon
“With so many new players stepping into big roles, we all knew we had to raise our level,” Clare said. “I felt pressure, but the good kind—the kind that pushes you to show up for your team in the biggest moments.” Clare showed this determination repeatedly throughout the season.
For senior captain Phoebe Schuh, another returning starter, the focus from day one was on stability and unity. “My mindset going into the season was to really focus on creating a positive and welcoming team environment for all the new players,” Phoebe said. “I wanted everyone to understand their important role on the team and feel valued.”
Adjusting after losing so many impactful seniors wasn’t easy, but Phoebe said the group leaned on what they learned from last year. “We had so much talent on the bench last year, and I was confident the younger players were ready to step up. The returning players made sure to guide the new ones, and that support helped us come together.”
Team chemistry, surprisingly, wasn’t something New Canaan had to wait for. “Our chemistry actually started building before the season even began,” said Schuh, pointing to captain’s practices, conditioning sessions, team dinners and bus rides as some of the early bonding moments. That connection translated into success on the field immediately. Their season-opening 4–1 win over Staples—one of the teams that beat them last year—was a statement that despite their youth, they were still a serious contender.
Still, Phoebe said the team’s scoreless tie with Stamford early in the season was just as formative. “We didn’t connect well that day and knew we should have won,” she explained. “But when we beat them 4–0 in the first round of states, it showed how much we’d grown.”
Head coach Richard Hickson said he was proud of how the team handled the challenges of this season. “We were competitive throughout FCIACs and States, and although we were disappointed with the result, making it to the LL semifinal was a huge achievement,” he said.
Coach Hickson emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong team culture each year, especially when rosters change significantly. “We lean on our returning and upperclassmen players to ensure every player, new and returning, is welcomed onto the team,” he said. He noted that the leadership from the upperclassmen helped the younger athletes adjust and perform in big moments.
He hopes the team’s deep playoff experience will fuel next year’s run. “We’ve built a competitive program that can continue to compete for postseason honors,” said Hickson. “Being in the later stages of the postseason was new for a lot of the team, and that experience will benefit us next season.”
In the end, what defined New Canaan’s season wasn’t the number of returning players or the amount of experience on the field, it was the trust the team built in one another.
Despite the challenges of replacing the bulk of a strong starting line and finding new leaders, the Rams continued to push deeper into the postseason and reestablish themselves as one of the state’s most resilient programs. “A lot changed this year, but what didn’t change was how much we believed in each other,” Clare said. “That belief is what carried us, and it’s what will carry New Canaan for years to come.”
