The Guilford boys’ soccer team put together another strong season with Head Coach Curtis Gullette this fall. The Grizzlies claimed a share of the SCC Oronoque Division title and then advanced to the Class L state semifinals on their way to an overall record of 14-5-2 during the 2021 campaign.

This marked the third full season for Gullette as Guilford’s head coach. Gullette feels proud of the Grizzlies for what they accomplished on the pitch this year. Guilford has now made the Class L semifinals the last two times that the state tourney has been held.

“This season went well as a whole. The team improved throughout the season, and we were co-division champions for the Oronoque Division of the SCC,” Coach Gullette said. “Everyone had a great season and grew throughout the year.”

Guilford finished with a record of 11-3-2 during the regular season, earning two wins apiece versus North Haven, Lyman Hall, Branford, and East Haven to go with single victories against Stratford, Cheshire, and Hamden. Then as the No. 5 seed in the SCC Tournament, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 overtime loss to No. 4 Fairfield Prep in the quarterfinal round.

Following SCCs, Guilford opened play in the Class L State Tournament as the No. 9 seed and won its first three games to reach the semifinals. The Grizzlies posted victories over No. 24 Rockville (3-0), No. 8 Bristol Central (1-0), and No. 16 Masuk (2-0) to make it to the semis, where they took a 1-0 defeat against No. 12 seed Wethersfield.

Coach Gullette was pleased with both Guilford’s results on the field and the process through which his team went in order to achieve them this season.

“There are so many great moments and highlights from this season, but it is hard to pick a favorite, because what we have really tried to do as a team is build upon each and every day,” said Gullette. “We set a couple of goals for ourselves at the start of the season: To prepare our minds to be mentally focused for all 80 minutes of each game and to give 100 percent effort and intensity to every practice and game. So, my favorite part of the season has been the everyday moments that I see the players’ commitment to these goals.”

Guilford was led by senior captain midfielder Juan Salas-Romer and junior captain goalkeeper Justin Hess this year. Hess recorded 10 shutouts in goal on his way to earning Class L All-State accolades and All-SCC First Team recognition for the Grizzlies. Salas-Romer missed several games during the season, but still had 6 goals and 3 assists.

Junior midfielder Sami AbuGhazaleh scored 15 goals to go with 5 assists on his way to making the All-SCC First Team. Freshman midfielder Stephano Jarrin also earned All-SCC First Team honors for Guilford. Senior defender Jacob Pinckney made the All-SCC Second Team.

Sophomore midfielder Andres Gutierrez posted 8 goals and 4 assists for the Grizzlies on the year. Junior Tyler Yerkes midfielder Tyler Yerkes scored 5 goals, and senior forward Cal Stephens had 4 goals.

The Grizzlies also received major contributions on defense from senior Theo Freeman, senior Jerry Li, junior Josh Chen, junior Luke Ste. Marie, and junior Sean McSweet throughout the 2021 fall season.

Guilford’s senior class also featured Michael Van Keuren, Charlie Fenollosa, and Brennan Sinoway. The other juniors on the Grizzlies’ roster were Colin Lataillade, Will Rice, Mark K. Michna, and Sean Filley.

Guilford’s sophomore corps also included Anthony Malatesta, Jason Li, Owen Medvecky, and Andrew Jarrin. Wyatt Sprenkle was the other freshman on the squad.

The Grizzlies will be returning several key starters next year, including Hess, their captain and All-State goalie. With another strong season in the books, Coach Gullette feels confident that Guilford can once again be among the SCC’s top teams in 2022.

“Like every year, we know the competition in the SCC is tough,” Gullette said. “We expect to be competitive in all regular season games and to put ourselves in position to challenge for division, conference, and state titles.”