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11/07/2021 11:00 PMThe North Branford field hockey team had an opportunity to win its fifth-straight Shoreline Conference title when the T-Birds faced Valley Regional in the league championship game last week. Bolstered by a goal from senior captain Olivia Toto in final quarter, North Branford did exactly that by winning a close game over the Warriors to maintain its hold on the conference crown.
The 2nd-seeded T-Birds faced No. 1 seed Valley Regional in the Shoreline Conference Tournament final at the Indian River Complex in Clinton on Nov. 4. North Branford edged out Valley by a 2-1 score to win the Shoreline title for the fifth year in row and improve its overall record to 14-2-2.
During the regular season, North Branford took a 1-0 loss to Valley and then played the Warriors to a 1-1 draw. Heading into the Shoreline final, Toto and the T-Birds wanted to look past Valley’s undefeated record and focus on what they could do to come away with the win.
“All season, we have stressed going into the game not thinking about the other team’s record, not thinking about what we know about them. We just know that we can outhustle them and fight for every ball more than them,” Toto said. “Going into a team like Valley, we knew a lot of strengths and weaknesses, we knew what we had to do. We just had to communicate and trust each other.”
After Valley scored the first goal of the game, North Branford found itself trailing 1-0 at halftime. Toto said that the Thunderbirds needed to regroup and focus on the same philosophies that they had brought into the contest.
“We were a little bit upset that we were down 1-0. But we knew we could easily come back from that. We knew it was possible,” said Toto. “We just reinforced those ideas of hustling to every ball, communicating, and using one another. We did an amazing job coming out of the half.”
North Branford got on the board at the 11:29 mark of the third quarter, when sophomore Sophia Toto scored a goal to tie the game up at 1-1. The two sides remained deadlocked entering the fourth quarter. Then, with 11:51 remaining in the game, Olivia Toto scored the go-ahead goal on an assist from junior Mia Park to give North Branford a 2-1 advantage.
“It felt absolutely amazing. We were dominating the entire game. We felt that we were going to get a goal. We felt it coming,” Toto said. “When it did happen, it was an amazing feeling. Now we just had to hold them. All we have to worry about is stopping them from scoring now.”
With a one-goal lead, the T-Birds’ defense was now tasked with keeping the Warriors out of the net. Senior captain Braeden LeBeau helped lead that defensive effort for North Branford. With time winding down, LeBeau and her fellow defenders knew that they had to finish the job and keep playing hard until the game was over.
“When Olivia scored, we were all so excited, but we knew there was still a lot of game to play. That last bit of the quarter was some of the toughest defense we have had to play all season,” said LeBeau. “We really had to focus on shutting down Valley, as we knew they were capable of coming back. I know we were all anxious for the time to run out, but even in the final minute, we made sure to stay strong on defense and not celebrate too soon.”
When the final whistle blew, North Branford’s defense had stayed strong and prevented the Warriors from scoring the tying goal. Head Coach Babby Nuhn’s club walked off the field with the latest Shoreline title in the Thunderbirds’ storied dynasty.
“We all know how hard it is to win just one league championship. But this year’s dedicated senior class helped to bring home the fifth-consecutive victory,” Nuhn said. “They played for many North Branford field hockey grads. This was a huge, full team effort. We may have a small squad in numbers, but we have the biggest heart of any team.”
Prior to the championship game, North Branford had notched a 3-1 win versus No. 3 seed Old Saybrook in the Shoreline semifinals at the Indian River Complex on Nov. 1. Sophomore Keanna Criscuolo snapped a 1-1 tie by netting the go-ahead score for North Branford during fourth quarter. Olivia Toto scored the two other goals for the T-Birds. LeBeau and Park both had an assist in the victory. Senior goalie Samantha Helwig made two saves to help North Branford advance to the Shoreline final, where she picked up another victory in net.
Playing since they were freshmen, LeBeau and Toto have been a part of the last four Shoreline Conference titles with the North Branford field hockey team. While this year’s roster featured some changes, LeBeau said that there is excellent chemistry among the Thunderbirds in 2021.
“Almost all of our varsity starters graduated last year, so we didn’t really know what to expect coming into this season. We are a young team and low in numbers, but we’re all very close,” said LeBeau. “Most of us have played another sport, been in class, or grown up with one another. We have great chemistry off the field, which I think translates well into the game and helps us succeed.”
With another conference championship locked up, North Branford will open play in the Class S State Tournament as the No. 4 seed this week. North Branford hosted Immaculate for a first-round game on Nov. 9 (after press time) and, with a win, would host the winner of No. 5 Sacred Heart Academy and No. 12 Lewis Mills in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 11. The semifinals are on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and Wednesday, Nov. 17, and the Class S state final will be held at Wethersfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Toto said that the T-Birds must now refocus on adding another piece of hardware to their collection and go into states feeling confident in who they are and what they accomplish as a team.
“Our season isn’t over yet. We still have states. We still have to keep working hard. We know what we can do and what we’re capable of doing,” Toto said. “As long as we go in confident in ourselves, I think we’ll be successful in states.”
The North Branford field hockey team’s roster features senior captains Braeden LeBeau and Olivia Toto; seniors Mia Oliverio and Samantha Helwig; juniors Gianna Palma, Mia Park, and Payton Kamienski; sophomores Sophia Toto, Lindsey Onofrio, Gianna Gamble, Gabrielle Senerchia, Keana Criscuolo, and Morgan Lucibello; and freshmen Samantha Ferraro, Alivia Schmidt, Daytona Kamienski, Joanna Lamot, Alexa Falcioni, Riley Cole, and Lily Ardito.