Hand girls’ soccer Head Coach David Dikranian said that he saw many of his players build up their skills throughout the 2016 campaign. This progression amongst Hand’s athletes ultimately paved a road toward one of the team’s deeper postseason runs in recent memory with the Tigers playing at their peak in primetime confrontations.

Hand finished at 12-1-3 for the regular season while taking the SCC Qunnipiac Division title before beating Mercy and West Haven in the SCC Tournament to reach the team’s first conference final since 2009, where the Tigers lost to Cheshire on penalty kicks. Then as the No. 7 seed in the Class L State Tournament, Hand dispatched Berlin and No. 2 seed Nonnewaug before losing to eventual champion St. Joseph in the semifinals. It was the first appearance in the state semis since 2006 for Hand, which concluded the year with an impressive overall record of 16-3-3.

“Our preseason goals are the same every year, which are to win our division, win SCCs, and win states. We try to set our standards high,” said Dikranian, who was named the SCC’s Coach of the Year. “Deep down, we felt we could have this type of a season. We had the components to make it happen. It was just a matter of it all coming together and it did. Our expectations were met and everything fell into place for us to make a strong run.”

Captaining the Tigers this year were a pair of seniors in Sam Mayhew and Nicole Luongo. Both athletes displayed nothing but class both on the field and in the community with one of them faring well at a new position.

“They were great kids and their position with the others on the team was outstanding. The other girls viewed them as a friend. They had a great way about them and were great with the coaching staff,” said Dikranian. “Nicole was an outstanding student and talented young lady. Sam was great with teammates, intelligent, and respectful. Everyone had great respect for them both. Both got better as players as the year went on, which helped the team on and off the field. Sam went from outside midfielder to outside back and she was excellent for us there. They really contributed all season long.”

Hand had stretches during the regular season where its ability to handle adversity was tested. However, the Tigers showed the true resolve of a winner and passed the tests with flying colors.

“We had two games two days in a row with Lyman Hall and then Sacred Heart Academy. We were down to SHA and struggled in the first half. I challenged them at halftime to rise above the obstacles. We then came out and scored four goals [in a 4-1 win]. It stood out to me and showed the character of the team,” said Coach Dikranian. “After the Guilford loss, we played a good Amity team and I challenged them again to get back on a winning streak and they did with one of their best games of the season [in a 2-0 victory]. Both games against Lauralton Hall [a 1-0 win and a 2-0 win] were impressive, as well. They defended well and came together to find a way to win both games.”

Five Tigers made the All-SCC Quinnipiac Division Team in Heather Baughan, Lily Geshwind, Kayla Howard, Riley Kokoruda, and Taylor Scully. For the overall All-SCC squad, Kokoruda and Geshwind were First Team members, while Scully and Howard were selected to the Second Team. Additionally, Geshwind and Kokoruda both made the All-State Team.

In terms of team honors, Luongo took home the Tigers’ Academic Award, Scully was named their Most Improved Player, Gabby Egidio won the Tiger Award, Baughan and Ashleigh Violette were presented with the Coaches’ Award, Kokoruda received the Leadership Award, and Geshwind selected as Hand’s Most Valuable Player.

“Taylor struggled to score goals early on, but we worked with her and she got better and scored some key goals and assists. You asked Gabby to play any position, she’ll do it. She moved to outside mid and played outstanding. She penetrated the flank and got key goals and assists. She was a coach’s dream with her great attitude,” said Dikranian. “Heather was a center back and did a lot of things well and linked up the ball with our midfielders. Ashleigh was a center mid and won a lot of balls in the air. She also took free kicks and did the little things well. Riley really led by example and she was also vocal in a positive way. Lily had an excellent year as goalkeeper from start to finish.”

The Tigers also garnered plenty of praise from outsiders for the way they played and the sportsmanship they displayed. Even though Hand will be losing some key seniors heading into 2017, the team’s underclass athletes gained plenty of big-game experience that can only help them going forward.

“After the SCC final, I had a ref come up to us that didn’t even work that game come up to me and say he had heard we played a nice style and that our coaches and players were respectful. That compliment was bigger than any award,” Dikranian said. “We have some players that are developing in the program and expect to jump right into things next year. We expect them to fill those graduating spots. We’ll have the same goals next year and, with the current group getting better, they will be very hungry. They’ve been talking and wishing that next season started next month. We should be as good or better next year. This group is excited.”

From the Sidelines

Rounding out the senior class for Hand this year were Ciara Burke, Kelly Derken, Addisyn Lanza, Helena Stein, and Bradie Stryker.

Hand won the SCC Quinnipiac title with a divisional mark of 5-0-1.

The Tigers began the season with three-straight 0-0 ties against East Haven, Guilford, and Amity. Hand finished the year with 15 shutouts.