A new face of the coaching tree, plus many new and young core pieces, highlight the Valley Regional field hockey team in 2023, though the Warriors are looking to climb the conference rankings and experience column branch by branch daily.

In 2022, the Warriors compiled an 8-5-3 mark for their regular season efforts to qualify for the Class S State Tournament. In the bracket, Valley drew the 11th seed and took a 2-0 first-round defeat to No. 6 Granby Memorial. The Warriors additionally qualified for the Shoreline Conference Tournament to post an overall record of 8-7-3 for the campaign.

This fall, Valley has a new face along the sidelines in Julie Labbadia, who was previously the Warriors’ assistant coach. Valley has gotten off to a 2-4-1 start for the fall campaign and, while the experience may be sparse on the roster, they house just the right mentality and mindset to improve daily and power through any growing pains in the way.

“We only have eight returning players, four of whom have varsity experience,” said Labbadia. “We are very young with three seniors and one junior, so we have been starting back at the basics. All the new players are very positive and excited to be there every day. We have a great team culture. They are willing to learn and are all learning quickly. From day 1 until now, they have improved so much.”

Despite the low number of seniors, they each play a pivotal role in all facets of the squad as stewards and captains. They each bring a veteran leadership quality to every level of the field, with Madeline Siegel (back on the field after missing all of 2022 action with an injury) on defense, Abigail Reardon manning the midfield, and Clara Shea leading the offensive output at forward.

“Our three captains have been essential to our success over the last two years. Even with the large senior class last year, these three stood out and played key roles,” said Labbadia. “Madeline holds down our defense at sweeper, directing the girls and getting the ball out of the circle. She is always working hard in the offseason, learning as much as she can on her club team. Abigail is the hardest worker on the field, tenacious to the ball, and always playing with urgency. She is always giving 200% effort. She knows how to transfer the ball up field well. Clara knows the game very well and has outstanding ball handling skills. She works really well with the other forwards, creating openings and opportunities in the circle. She is always really mindful of giving our younger players a good experience as new players on the team, because she knows what it is like to be in their shoes. Beyond knowing the game very well, our three captains really set the tone for our team. They have been really patient with the newer players, and have taken the time to teach them and guide them on and off the field.”

Lone junior Lucy Resnisky assists Siegel on that defensive line, while sophomore Belle Rice is back on offense at drop center forward after a nine-goal freshman campaign that netted her the squad’s Rookie of the Year award. Additionally, her classmate Addie Guzallis is new to the sport, but carries a solid background in lacrosse.

“Belle emerged as a leader on the team even in her freshman year. This year, she is the person who primarily creates movement up the field on our team. She works really well with our midfield and forward lines. She started off the season with a hat trick against Morgan,” said Labbadia. “Lucy has emerged as a solid defender in her junior year. Her skill really matured at the end of last season into this one. Though she primarily had JV experience prior to this year, she plays like an experienced varsity player. Addie played lacrosse last year, so field hockey seemed like a natural transition for her. She is extremely athletic and urgent to the ball. Often, newer players struggle with urgency, but this seemed to click for her right away. She has been thrown into our varsity games this year and has taken the pressure of it well, improving every game.”

Labbadia looks down to the end of the regular season schedule for crucial non-conference matchups with a home-in-home series against Somers-Rockville (away on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and home for Senior Day on Monday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.) and Norwich Free Academy to conclude the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 3:45 p.m.

As the Warriors continue through the Shoreline Conference competition, they are looking to gain experience points within their underclass. Yet no matter the final results or record when it all wraps up, Valley knows it will be in a better place with optimism after the dust settles.

“We are anticipating a lot of growth from our sophomores in skill building and strong leadership from our seniors, plus Belle and Lucy,” said Labbadia. “Overall, we are hopeful for a positive season full of learning.”

Joining Labbadia on the sidelines this fall is new assistant coach Olivia Whitehead, who also served as the Valley softball head coach this past spring.

The 2023 Warriors’ roster is comprised of seniors in Siegel, Reardon, Shea; junior Resnisky; sophomores of Catalena Goldberg, Emily Bachand, India Sharp, Gabriella Sweet, Coralina Giuliano, Isabella Jacoby, Guzalis, Rice, Emily Atwood, Amelia Giantonio; and freshmen Scout (Hawley) Kornacki, Marina Morgan, Violet Fritz, Penelope Martel, and Upel Lhamo.

2023 Valley Regional Field Hockey Regular Season Results and Schedule

Sept. 11: Valley Regional 6, Morgan 1

Sept. 14: Westbrook-Old Lyme 2, Valley Regional 0

Sept. 19: Old Saybrook 4, Valley Regional 1

Sept. 21: North Branford 3, Valley Regional 0

Sept. 30: Immaculate 3, Valley Regional 0

Oct. 2: Valley Regional 4, Morgan 0

Oct. 5: Westbrook-Old Lyme 0, Valley Regional 0

Oct. 7: Valley Regional 4, Waterford 0

Tuesday, Oct. 10: vs. Old Saybrook at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 11: vs. Haddam-Killingworth at 4 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 13: at North Branford at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 14: at Woodstock Academy at 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 17: at Haddam-Killingworth at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 18: at Somers-Rockville at 4:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 23: vs. Somers-Rockville at 5 p.m. (Senior Night)

Thursday, Oct. 26: vs. Norwich Free Academy at 3:45 p.m.