After starting the season by losing two of its first three games, the Guilford boys’ soccer team has been nothing short of dominant during the 2020 season.

Guilford has taken two defeats to Hand, but has also rattled off five wins and a tie for a record of 5-2-1 on the year. Head Coach Curtis Gullette said that his team’s improvement on defense has played a huge hand in Guilford’s success in recent weeks.

“One thing that was apparent our first game of the season was that our defense needed some work. We’re much more of a solid unit now,” said Gullette. “We went over a lot of game film and dissected what we could improve upon, and that’s really helped us since those losses. Our entire backline, aside from [senior captain] Aidan Buchanan, had no varsity experience entering the first game of the season, and it showed against a really talented Hand team.”

One adjustment that Coach Gullette has made since the beginning of the season was inserting sophomores Josh Chen and Luke Ste. Marie into the starting lineup. Chen plays right back for Guilford, while Ste. Marie is suiting up at the right midfielder position.

“Starting with one of our most recent games against Cheshire, we wanted to shore up our right side of the field. Josh and Luke played great for us, and they helped create a lot of opportunities for us,” Gullette said. “That game ended 1-1, but we had four or five great chances to score in the second half, and that was a really encouraging sign.”

Senior captain Buchanan has also shifted spots since the start of the year by moving from his natural position as a center back into a center midfielder’s role. Coach Gullette felt that Guilford would benefit from having Buchanan push up the field in order to provide more scoring opportunities. That change has definitely paid dividends as Buchanan has scored two goals and handed out four assists on the season, while creating plenty of scoring chances for fellow senior captain Anthony Ippolito, a striker who has eight goals on the campaign.

“Aidan had a lot more experienced players surrounding him last year on the defense, so it was a difficult transition putting three new guys into the starting lineup on defense,” said Gullette. “This year, we’re a lot younger, and I felt like Aidan would be better served trying to get up the pitch further as he is one of our more skilled players.”

In its most-recent game, Guilford edged out Xavier by a 2-1 score in a tight contest at Kavanaugh Field on Oct. 27. Ippolito netted the first goal of the game in the 6th minute, but Xavier answered back just moments later to tie it at 1-1. In the 60th minute of the contest, Guilford grabbed the lead for good when Buchanan took a free kick and played the ball into the box, after which Ippolito buried it in the back of the net. Sophomore goalie Justin Hess earned the win in goal.

In addition to Buchanan and Ippolito, Guilford has been getting contributions from several athletes on all ends of the pitch this year. Nine different players have tallied at least one point for Coach Gullette’s squad on the season.

Senior Camilo Carmona has three goals with an assist, and junior Cal Stephens and sophomore Will Rice both have two goals apiece. Senior Evan Lemon has two assists, while senior Niall O’Brien and juniors Tanner Lewis and Owen Campaigne each have one assist.

“We are getting contributions from everyone, and that’s important with a young group of guys. They are developing a lot of confidence with each other, and I’m excited to see where this takes us by the end of the season,” Coach Gullette said. “As far as we know, there is still some sort of tournament experience happening. We should hopefully get a bye in the first round with the hope of meeting up in the finals.”

The Southern Connecticut Conference is scheduled to hold a postseason tournament during the next two weeks. However, with COVID-19 infection numbers rising in both Connecticut and the United States, Coach Gullette has concerns about whether Guilford will be able to complete its season as planned.

Guilford still has regular-season games remaining against East Haven, Branford, and Wilbur Cross on its schedule.

“It’s definitely a concern,” said Gullette. “Not even with just soccer, but my parents are in that age group where if they get it, they’re more likely to have severe symptoms. My biggest worry is bringing something home to my family without realizing it. It’s something we have to take seriously. But we’re doing good on our end. We still screen our guys every day before practice, and we are making sure everything is sanitized.”