It’s a tall order to replicate the type of success that the Guilford field hockey team has seen throughout the past several seasons. However, with a strong core of experienced players and a veteran head coach in Kitty Palmer leading the charge, the Grizzlies believe that a repeat of similar success is well within reach for the team this year.

Guilford is playing a few scrimmages in preparation for its season opener against Stonington at home on Saturday, Sept. 10. The Grizzlies will then hit the road to face Cheshire in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s SCC championship game on Thursday, Sept. 16.

Last year, Guilford won the SCC title for fourth-straight season by posting a 3-0 victory over Cheshire in the final of the SCC Tournament. The Grizzlies went on to capture their third-straight state crown with a

4-0 win versus Wethersfield in the Class M championship game, ultimately finishing the season with a record of 22-1.

As her team embarks on a new journey, Coach Palmer is hoping that the Grizzlies can continue their tradition of success in the upcoming fall campaign.

“It’s always good to have such a successful season. Most of the girls know what it takes to be successful,” Palmer said. “We lost some key pieces, and we’re going to have to see if people step up and take charge of their jobs and do them well.”

Guilford is entering this season having graduated

11 seniors from last year’s championship team. This includes Maddie Epke and Allie Petonito, two senior captains who made All-State while leading the Grizzlies’ offense in the midfield. Guilford also bid farewell to goalkeeper Julia McDonald, who was a dominant presence for the Grizzlies in net.

Coach Palmer knows that Guilford has some big shoes to fill in its lineup this year. However, she feels confident that her returning players are ready to take on that challenge.

“We had five or six seniors that started. Obviously, Maddie got a lot of notoriety, but those other girls were very important players to us, as well,” said Palmer. “It’s not going to be easy, because they were very good.”

Ella Clarke and Scout Climie will lead an experienced group of seniors as Guilford’s senior captains. Last year, Clarke earned All-SCC First Team honors alongside Epke and Petonito due to her goal-scoring abilities. Clarke also garnered All-State Honorable Mention and will be relied upon to drive the Grizzlies’ offense this season.

Climie came away from her junior campaign with All-SCC Second Team accolades after anchoring Guilford’s defense. Coach Palmer knows that strong defensive play will once again be a strength of the team, and she’s looking for Climie to serve as the foundation for the Grizzlies’ wall of defenders.

“She is so solid and very communicative. She knows where everybody on the field is,” Palmer said of Climie. “She’s just a great kid to have back there. It’s very calming to know that she’s on the field and in charge of the defense.”

Coach Palmer is eager to see the contributions of Guilford’s forwards. The starting crew includes Clarke, along with fellow seniors Grace Barlage, Kim Evans, and MJ Santa Barbara, plus junior Payton Root. All of these players have contributed to multiple titles for the Grizzlies the past few seasons and are determined to put their experience to good use against tougher opponents, while using also using that expertise to guide the club’s younger players.

Palmer is also expecting Guilford’s offense to get some sparks from its midfielders, led by senior Gigi Meneo. With the loss of Epke and Petonito, the Grizzlies will be changing up their pace of play this season. Epke and Petonito did an excellent job of carrying the ball downfield in order to ignite the team’s offense. Now, Coach Palmer and the Grizzlies are taking a bit of a different course as a result of the voids left on offense from last year’s departures.

“This year, we’re going to have to rely on more passing. They’ve played together so much, this senior class, that I think it shouldn’t be too hard for them to work together without having the two superstars we had last year on offense,” Coach Palmer said. “I don’t think it’ll be too much of a change, but it’ll be a different system for them. They’re going to have to take bigger roles and passing roles.”

Palmer is anticipating continued progress from senior defender Delaney Victor this year. Last season, Victor was an integral part of the Grizzlies’ defense as the team’s sweeper. Coach Palmer expects Victor and Climie to be key pieces in front of Guilford’s new goalkeeper.

Junior Eliza Chamberlain, who mainly played net for the JV team last year, will be suiting up as the varsity goalie this fall. Chamberlain is currently the only goalie on Guilford’s roster, but Palmer feels encouraged by the work she put in during the offseason in preparation for the big stage.

Coach Palmer is anxiously awaiting the start of the Grizzlies’ season. Palmer said that many of her athletes have been participating in offseason workouts, and she’s hoping that type effort that pay off with another memorable run.

“They’ve been practicing twice a week with stick work and running. I’m anxious to see everybody next week to see how they’ve improved since last year. I have good reports that things have been going very well, so we’ll see,” said Palmer. “The new freshmen have come out. There’s 14 of them, so that’s very encouraging to know that they are working hard, as well.”

Coach Palmer thinks that the Grizzlies have what it takes to once again be a force on the field. With individual improvement across the board, Palmer is excited to see how things play out for both Guilford’s veterans and newcomers this year.

“I’m very much looking forward to making this team a real team. Whoever’s on the field, they are a cohesive unit,” Palmer said. “Everybody is going to take ownership of each play. We’re going to support each other physically on the field as much as we can.”

While it won’t be easy to achieve more championship glory, the Grizzlies are ready to do everything they can to claim another banner as they hit the field with an experienced group of seniors. Coach Palmer believes that the Guilford field hockey team has the pieces in place to enjoy another successful season in 2022.

“We have a good returning senior class that has had very good success as freshman all the way up to now their senior year. I’m hoping what they’ve been through in the past three years will carry over,” said Palmer. “This senior class has had a lot of success. We just hope for another year of success.”