The Branford field hockey team that walked off the field in New Canaan on Nov. 10 was a much-improved unit compared to the one which first stepped on the turf two months earlier and Head Coach Cathy McGuirk feels extremely proud of her athletes for their progression. The Hornets entered the 2015 fall season with some question marks as they featured a lot of underclass athletes in key roles, but McGuirk’s club answered those questions with authority by surging down the stretch to have another great year that concluded with 11 wins and berths in both postseason tournaments.

“They did improve a lot and part of that was that we had some kids who hadn’t had a lot of varsity experience that needed to jell as a team, needed to gain confidence, learn to work together and work on their skills, and just become a more cohesive group. They just continued to do that all season and that is what you hope for from the team,” said McGuirk, who was in her 39th year as head coach and was assisted by husband John McGuirk, plus Robin Axtell. “Something th three of us coaches stress a lot is improvement to help yourself and help the team. As the season progressed, so many kids got better by playing against each other in practice sessions. They got better because the kids made it hard for each other. It’s improvement in confidence, skills, and teamwork, and that’s all a part of high school sports.”

Branford’s improvement certainly showed in the win column in latter portion of the campaign when it earned a big 3-2 victory versus defending SCC and Class M state champion Hand on Oct. 22. Then in the SCC Tournament, the Hornets faced a Hamden squad that they’d lost to and tied during the regular season, but McGuirk’s club came out on top this time with a 2-0 triumph that continued the program’s streak of reaching the conference semis—something it’s done in every year of the tourney’s existence.

As big as those wins were, Coach McGuirk also felt her players showed a lot in some other games against top-notch squads. Branford put Cheshire to the test in a 1-0 overtime loss in the middle of the regular season, gave Stonington everything it could handle in a 1-1 tie, and also played two competitive contests against eventual SCC champ Lauralton Hall, including a nip-and-tuck 2-1 defeat in the semifinals of the tournament. Then in the Class M State Tournament, the Hornets dropped a 4-1 decision to that bracket’s eventual champion in New Canaan and, after the game, the Rams’ coach approach McGuirk and complimented her Hornets for never quitting through the course of the contest. It was another moment that had McGuirk brimming with pride and she was never shy about letting her athletes know how she and her fellow coaches felt as the year unfolded.

“We told them often how proud we were of them and how they were playing and that they did it as a team,” said McGuirk, whose team went 11-5-2-1 overall. “All three of us work with the kids and we told them how we were proud of their improvement, how they helped each other, kept their heads up, and kept going. I’m very proud of these kids and they should know that from what they did.”

Branford was led by a group of six captains this season, four of whom are seniors. The Hornets’ senior captains were defenders Matilda Kreider and Emma Dwyer, along with Kenya Claude and Annie Rapini. Kreider received the team’s Unsung Hero Award with Dwyer and fellow senior Shannon Healy earning the Persistence Award. Shradha Shrestha, a senior midfielder, was a recipient of the Lauren E. Hayes Most Improved Player Award. Branford’s other senior athletes were Sam Coleman, Shannon Finn, and Maddie McGann. Senior Shelby Oliveri was one of the team’s managers.

The Hornets’ two junior captains were goalie Keira Integlia and midfielder Carol Frye. Both athletes were chosen to play in the state’s Junior Select Game and they each collected a host of other accolades at season’s end. Frye, who scored four goals and had 11 assists, made First Team for All-SCC and All-State and was additionally named to the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team. From the Hornets, Frye was presented with the Most Offseason Skill Development Award, a share of the Most Improved Player Award, and was one of the squad’s Most Valuable Players. Integlia, who recorded eight shutouts in the cage, took home those same three team awards and was also one of Branford’s Best Defensive Players, in addition to earning Second Team All-SCC and All-State distinction.

For other juniors, forward Kiersten Bjork netted 13 goals and had seven assists to earn the Hornets’ co-MVP Award and was also one of their Best Offensive Players. Alanna Grimm, a defender, was a co-MVP and chosen as one of Branford’s Best Defensive Players. Defender Emily Sachs was the JV team’s Most Improved Player in her first season with the field hockey program. Junior Olivia Datre was the Hornets’ other manager.

In terms of the Hornets’ sophomores, forward LanLe Crotty scored 14 goals to go with five assists to play her way onto the Second Team for the All-SCC and All-State squads. She was also one of Branford’s MVPs, Most Improved Players, and Best Offensive Players. Midfielder Britney Bunbanlu and forward Jackie DaRoa (4 goals, 2 assists) were both recipients of the Hornets’ Most Improved Sophomore Award. Defender Autumn McHenry was presented with a variety of awards as she was an MVP, Most Improved Player, Best Defensive Player, the Most Tenacious Defender, and also won the Best Passer Award. Fellow defender Leah Pendl-Robinson was another recipient of the Lauren E. Hayes Most Improved Player Award, as well as Best Defensive Player honors and the Speed Attack Defender Award. Sabrina Torcellini, also a defender, was chosen as an MVP, a Most Improved Player, Best Defensive Player, Most Tenacious Defender, and Speed Attack Defender. The Hornets’ other sophomores were Caitlin Baker, who saw time in goal and on the field, along with Emily Knapp (defender/forward) and Fiona Palmieri (defender).

Freshmen Carly Shea (forward) and Liante Claude (goalie) shared Branford’s Rookie of the Year Award and were joined in the freshman class by Jessica Amarante, Aleyah Bosworth, Maddie Galdenzi, Hema Medhat, Mary Nwagboli, Pam Remette, Abby Robinson (forward/defender), Mena Salama, and Khusbu Shrestha.

Coach McGuirk additionally sent out special thanks to Lindsay Milardo for helping out on a volunteer basis early in the season.