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09/10/2024 01:31 PMTwo items that Eliza Burgess loves and craves are sports and competition. So it comes as little surprise that she fit right into the Branford field hockey program and brought both herself and the Hornets to some great heights.
Eliza grew up in a sports-centric household with an always active family, and she followed suit by trying basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. After starting her field hockey journey in seventh grade, she jumped onto the Hornets’ squad as a freshman. After seeing several successes with Branford, including a state crown her sophomore year, the defender is back for her final season and in a leadership capacity as captain.
“I like working as a unit and a team with field hockey. I wanted to play a sport where I could go up against an opponent because I am a very competitive person. I also like how the sport is so unique,” says Eliza. “I think what has helped me is holding myself accountable, and you always want to push yourself to the max. I also think that what it takes being one of the best in any sport is giving that extra training time to the sport outside of the team. My family has helped provide me with those opportunities to go to clubs and clinics and play year-round.”
Eliza explains that one undervalued trait is having great mental prowess. She explains that she keeps an iron nerve and a sharp competitive drive intact by always envisioning the game is on the line and thriving on that imaginative big stage.
“I think the mental game is something too many people overlook. I think you need to be able to be tired but then be able to push yourself more when you are so tired,” says Eliza. “My coaches have helped me a lot with that through conditioning. I am very competitive, so even if I am feeling tired on my own during a conditioning drill, I will picture myself in a high stakes game to help me drive through.”
The final Hornet to step between an opposing offensive strike and the netminder is more often than not Eliza for Branford. She certainly has great faith in the goalkeeper, though she takes extra pride in giving her the easiest outing she can have any given day.
“I play more in the back line on the defense, and so I like being the last line of defense,” Eliza says. “It puts pressure on me, but the pressure really helps me work through everything. We have a great goalkeeper, but I want to help her take as few shots on net as possible. The challenge of the position makes me want it more. It can be hard after you let up a goal because you tend to put the goal on the defender. But I know then that I really need to focus and move on and use what I learned from that goal to be better.”
Branford field hockey Head Coach Pete Frye explains that Eliza knows what it takes to win, as she is the last link to the Hornets’ run to state title glory two years ago. But more importantly, she has an infectious and selfless persona about her that inspires others to be better.
“Eliza is the lone remaining starter from the 2022 championship team. She helped anchor a defense that garnered 16 shutouts in a season, while allowing fewer than 40 shots for a whole season,” says Frye. “Ever since her freshman year, Eliza has stood out from the crowd with her consistent willingness to help others. Whether that be coaches, fellow players, or even parents, Eliza has always led by example. On the field, she continues to excel, last year playing in the Junior Select game at Guilford. Our team is lucky to have such a steadying influence as Eliza. People like her are what allow teams to be successful.”
Eliza has certainly cultivated a depth in terms of her skill set on the defensive end of the turf. Still, she never stops bettering herself and is looking to get a better handle on things in more ways than one, while having poise in possession of the ball.
“I think I work really well on defense. I have gotten strong at 1-v-1 defense and staying as disciplined as I can be,” says Eliza. “I need to work on my stick skills, along with controlling the ball better and not freaking out when I get it.”
As she certainly has aspirations to continue her main athletic love in her undergraduate career, Eliza is open to all options–including hitting the sidelines in a new capacity. Yet in the present and focusing on her final push with Branford, she would love to see the team at its apex on a daily basis to bring another crown home.
“I want to push myself and the team to be the best we can be,” Eliza says. “I have seen us accomplish a lot together; it was the best feeling when we won states,” says Eliza. “I want the team to work as a whole unit with each person working to their full potential. I would love to play club field hockey in college, but I am open to maybe playing for a varsity club and maybe coach it one day.”