Given the great deal of experience the Guilford boys’ soccer squad returned in its senior class alone this fall, it should come as no shock that the Indians are right in the thick of things in the hunt for SCC Hammonasset Division crown.

Following a 2013 run to the SCC Tournament final and then a push to the Class L State Tournament quarters last fall, the Indians welcomed back a crop of crafty veterans, including a dozen seniors, many of whom are in their third year on the varsity pitch. This leadership and experience has paid massive dividends for Guilford, which is 9-1-1 thus far this fall.

“We have a number of seniors in the lineup that are now in their third year of contributing to varsity. Two years ago, we struggled physically, but we’ve made progress. These guys got to the state quarters last year and are back this year. We just have a lot of depth at many positions,” said Indians’ Head Coach Joe Maher. “There are no surprises out there that they haven’t been through. We just need to work on cutting down our mistakes and, ‘Making their own luck’ with goals, as I’ve told them.”

In a 3-0 road shutout of Branford on Oct. 14, senior Josh Violette notched a goal in both the first and second halves, plus senior Chris Barber had another tally later in the second. Guilford outshot Branford (3-6-2) by 9-5 total as senior netminder Colin Brocksieper earned his fifth shutout of the year.

“Three of our defensive backs, plus Colin, have one-two years of varsity experience, so it’s nothing new back there for them and they have a lot of confidence,” said Maher. “They are heading into 30-plus varsity games together as a group, so they are well-experienced and work well together.”

The scoring started at the 27:56 mark of the first half, when Violette was the recipient of a pass from Dan Ciocca for a 1-0 Guilford lead. Violette then struck again at the 72:12 juncture in the latter half with junior Sean Miller earning the assist. Just under five minutes later, Ciocca found Barber for Guilford’s third goal to cap off the evening for the Indians.

In terms of putting the ball in the back of the net, senior Stephen Page and Miller are standing out as each athlete has seven goals with the latter recording two hat tricks. Setting up a number of tallies have been senior captains Ben Rattet (8 assists) and Nick Bonelli (4 helpers), along with junior Mateo Peralta and Violette.

“Matt and Josh have really been setting up Sean and Stephen,” said Maher. “But between those two, plus Ben and Nick, they send the ball into easy scoring positions.”

Guilford has seen its mettle tested this fall by taking a 3-1 loss to defending SCC champion Fairfield Prep, playing to a 1-1 draw against unbeaten division rival Hand, and earning a 1-0 triumph over Quinnipiac Division power Xavier. Coach Maher explained that those clashes will make his Indians more battle-tested come rematch time with those clubs.

“We had chances to win versus Hand and we had a 0-0 battle with Xavier until the last two minutes. Versus two of the better teams in the league [Fairfield Prep and Hand], we lost one, but they are confident they can play at a high level,” Maher said. “It’s about taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes and cutting down on our own. They’ve all really progressed steadily this year and I have no complaints about it.”

Guilford will entertain rematches with those same Jesuits, Tigers, and Falcons during the regular season’s home stretch in preparation for the playoffs. Considering the vast amount of parity in the SCC, Coach Maher feels his Indians can notch a few more wins before tournament time.

“We are basically playing the A, or No. 1, schedule against better teams like Hand, Fairfield Prep, and Xavier,” said Maher. “With that, we are basically in a battle every single game, but they can go either way with a highly competitive league.”

After blanking Branford, the Indians recorded their ninth win and moved to 3-0-1 in divisional play with another shutout, this one against Hammonasset rival Foran with a 2-0 final on Oct. 16. Page and Rattet scored the goals and Brocksieper made five saves as Guilford outshot the Lions 20-7.

From the Sidelines

Aside from the loss to Fairfield Prep, the most goals allowed by Guilford in a single game this season was just two in a season-opening 5-2 victory over North Haven.

The Indians close out the regular season with a match at Law on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10:30 a.m. and a road trip to Hand on Monday, Oct. 26 at 7 before finally heading to Xavier on Wednesday, Oct. 28, which is also at 7.

The seniors for the Indians this fall are keeper Colin Brocksieper, defender Luke Vilaseca, midfielder/forward Grant Silverman, tri-captains of defender/midfielder Nick Bonelli and midfielders Chris Barber and Ben Rattet, forward Josh Violette, defender Simon Tamayo, defender/midfielder Hugo Bachaumard, midfielder/forward Stephen Page, defender/midfielder Sam Surgenor, and midfielder Jackson Inchalik.