Pressure always comes with being the star of a collective unit, whether that’s a sports team or any other entity that involves working together. For Ayla D’Anna, she takes that pressure in stride as the leading goal scorer for the Old Saybrook field hockey team this fall.

The Old Saybrook junior captain and left forward has been making the most of the opportunities on the field since her sophomore year, embracing the chances the sport has given her to meet new friends and create a family-like atmosphere.

“I started playing field hockey in seventh grade since the middle school had a team at the time,” says Ayla. “I moved to Old Saybrook when I was 13 and immediately felt the urge to play. I was inspired to play since it was my first year at Old Saybrook Middle School. I wanted to participate in a fall sport while also meeting new people. My friends encouraged me to start playing, and once I heard about the positive team environment, I knew the sport was for me.”

Ayla, who has also played basketball in the winter and currently still plays lacrosse in the spring, has constantly worked hard to improve her game, and that passion has been recognized by Rams Head Coach Nancy Gatta, who has seen her make major strides in the sport over the years.

“Ayla is a vocal leader in practices and during games. She is such a positive influence and is so encouraging to her teammates. She is such a force on the field and has been a very productive player this season,” says Gatta. “Ayla leads the team in goals this season with 18, and in her sophomore year she had six goals. So she has definitely stepped up her game this year, and this has been a large part of why our team has seen such success this year.”

Gatta also notes that Ayla works so well with her teammates, including Amelia Sigersmith, Kendall Dobratz, Grace Desmond, and Lila Cadley. They all seem to find each other on the field and make something happen.

As much as she makes things happen on the field hockey circuit, she also makes an impact off of it as a strong junior captain for the team, serving as a role model for the idea of positivity and not being afraid to step out of her comfort zone.

“I can lead the team this season as a captain since I am a highly motivated individual and like to encourage my teammates to always strive for their highest potential in and out of the game,” Ayla says. “To lead the team this year, I have acted as a role model and always put in 100% effort, no matter if it is a game or practice. I try to bring positivity and confidence to show the team to not be afraid of making mistakes and to try new things that can benefit the team as a whole. I attempt to display the message that everything we do is for a collective purpose, to obtain a good record, and increase our team relationship for future games.”

The Rams are currently 14-2-1 in the regular season, with one game remaining. With Ayla being the team’s leading goal scorer, she looks forward to being a valuable contributor to an Old Saybrook team hungry for postseason hardware.

“I look to the postseason and am determined to get far in the state tournament. This is very important to me, as I want to get as far as we can with our specific team since I want the season to go on as long as possible and want to be able to play with the seniors for as many more games as possible,” says Ayla. “As the season comes to an end, I look forward to the next few weeks of hard work and dedication from all areas of our team in hopes to do well in the close of the season. I also hope to set up a winter league for our team so we can learn new things and continue putting in work during the offseason.”

Earning the title of a captain and the reputation that comes with that isn’t always an easy feat, and with Ayla not being a senior, she had to prove herself extra deserving of the honor, but her teammates quickly embraced her leadership and ability to lead the team all season.

“It could have been a challenge early in the season when, as a junior captain, she had to really prove herself worthy of the title. Typically most captains are seniors. But, this year we tried something new and named a junior captain,” says Gatta. “Ayla really stepped up and worked with the team over the summer to make sure the team knew about conditioning and how to prepare for the season. This role, I believe, has really improved her confidence, and the team can see how much this team means to her.”

Throughout the course of her high school tenure, Ayla has learned to approach challenges head-on, and continue to move forward even when things don’t go as planned in competition, or an error occurs. She knows making mistakes is just a part of life, and part of what makes her so successful is her ability to adapt to that concept.

“During field hockey, it is very important to not dwell on mistakes and play harder when you do make a mistake,” explains Ayla. “In the beginning of the season, I had trouble moving past mistakes, which affected my playing in the game. To avoid this challenge, I have learned that instead of focusing on the mistake, I need to focus on how to reverse the mistake and focus on what can be changed, which is the rest of the game.”

Ayla is interested in playing field hockey after she graduates next year, but is still finding the right path and is fully focused on this postseason and having a successful senior campaign.