As the fall season gets into the heart of the schedule with teams eyeing a second half postseason push, the Guilford field hockey club is no exception. With a group of players that vary in experience level, the Grizzlies are on the fast track to making noise both at the conference and state levels.

After a 2022 season that saw Guilford earn the No. 1 seed in both the SCC Conference and Class M, the team’s playoff hopes were cut short in both tournaments after they faced early-round losses. Because their time in the conference and state tournaments ended sooner than they had hoped, it only drives the Grizzlies even more to want to rewrite that narrative this fall.

Guilford field hockey Head Coach Kitty Palmer, who is currently in her 42nd year with the team, knows the potential is there for her team to compete with the best of the best once the right combination of players is together on the field.

“We have worked very hard because there has not been a lot of varsity experience for the girls that are now starting varsity. We have worked hard with a lot of players, more than ever that I can remember,” said Palmer. “We are still in stages of trying to find that perfect 11 players to play as well as substitutes; trying to find the right mix of girls that can lead us for the year.”

Leading the team at the captain’s helm for Guilford are two senior captains in Tania Evans (forward) and Payton Root (midfield defender). According to Palmer, both girls bring a special energy to the team that is contagious and has driven the team to early-season success.

“They both have been playing since their freshman year. Tania has been playing varsity since her freshman year, and Payton has been playing varsity for two years. They bring their own strengths,” said Palmer. “Tania is very communicative on the forward line and tries to lead the forwards. Payton is more of a midfield defender, and she is in the back leading. They both lead by their play on the field. They have witnessed success in past years; three of them were on the field, Payton for four years. She knows what it takes to be a varsity player and a winning player. Both Tania and Payton are trying to help everyone reach their potential. They are all trying, and they have seen it and are trying to execute it.”

As a squad, one of the primary goals in mind for Guilford is to grow on last season’s playoff run and capitalize even further on it. While working towards that goal, Palmer hopes to see consistent improvement from each and every player, something she’s already seen in the early stages of the campaign.

“I would like them to improve every day, and they are, there are a lot of moving parts, and I am just trying to narrow it down a little more,” Palmer said. “All of my coaches are a terrific help; they all know what it takes, and they are pushing their players, whether it is the freshman or the junior varsity (JV) players, to notice that they have a chance to play varsity this year if they just keep progressing.”

Currently, Guilford only has three losses on the season. On Sept. 13, the team hosted Daniel Hand and fell 1-0, prior to taking a 1-0 road loss at Glastonbury on Sept. 30. Then, on Oct. 7, they traveled to Norwalk and fell 2-1. Several players on the squad have helped the Grizzlies to come out strong out of the gate, and they have pulled together quite a few victories in the early going.

“Our goalie, Eliza Chamberlain (senior), this is her second year playing varsity goalie; she is definitely a huge contributor so far this season. Cassie Ward (junior) in the forward line, Colby Atwater (midfielder, sophomore), and Hailey Farace (forward/midfielder, sophomore) have been big contributors,” said Palmer. “I have a freshman, Zoe Tsoukanelis (forward); she is doing well. One other is Cambelle Jacobson (junior, defender), and one more, Flora Zhang (senior, defender).”

After losing a tight 1-0 game vs. Glastonbury, Palmer was not surprised that it was a close one.

“We always have close games with Glastonbury,” said Palmer. “They are a big school; they have a lot of good field hockey players.”

Palmer additionally noted that the final score was determined in the last six minutes of the game and that her squad gave a lot of effort throughout the entirety of the contest.

Any team will face challenges as they trek along the highs and lows of a long season, but the early struggles helped the Guilford field hockey team to know where they’re at, as well as where they can improve.

“Definitely, the Hand game was a challenge. We had good spurts in that game and some that were not so good. I think we just need to get more shots on goal,” explained Palmer. “Then Stonington, our first game of the season, you never know, and that was a good win because they were a state finalist last year. We have had two really challenging games; Glastonbury was another one.”

Palmer is assisted on the sidelines by Katy Jankura (JV coach), Sara Duggan (freshman coach), Kiernan Willis (goalie coach), Tara Slowik (volunteer coach), and Hilary Decateldo (volunteer coach), who all played for Palmer during their high school careers.

The Grizzlies full team roster includes Chamberlain, Evans, Zhang, Sadie Iozzia (senior, forward), Lila Garuti (senior, forward), Olivia Pionke (senior, defender), Reilly Thompson (senior, defender), Root, Bella Sweeney (senior, defender), Karalina Smith (senior, defender), Jacobson, Caroline Hergan (junior, defender), Ward, Maddie White (junior, defender), Leanna Petonito (junior, defender), Hayden Lombard (sophomore, midfielder), Atwater, Farace, Sofia Apicella (sophomore, forward), Mikayla Garcia Scalici (sophomore, defender), Katherine Gasparini (sophomore, midfielder), Mallory Sadorra (sophomore, forward), Breann Shelton (sophomore, defender), Emma Clifford (sophomore, midfielder), Camila Munroe (sophomore, defender), Addie Oakes (sophomore, goalie), Karlynn Cretella (sophomore, forward), Tsoukanelis, Sam Torello (freshman, forward/midfielder), Erin Randall (freshman, forward), Peyton Deixler (freshman, defender), Eve Shae (freshman, defender), Neave Coyne (freshman, forward), Avery DeGenaro (freshman, midfielder), Maddie Welch (freshman, midfielder), Lailen Esposito (freshman, forward), Anna Webster (freshman, forward), Lily Peck (freshman, midfielder), Kaelyn Bruce (freshman, forward), Olivia Cavallaro (freshman, midfielder), Gabby Chen (freshman, defender), and Bryna Falkner (freshman, goalie).

Guilford Grizzlies Field Hockey 2023 Results and Schedule

Sept. 7: Guilford 2, Stonington 1

Sept. 13: Daniel Hand 1, Guilford 0

Sept. 19: Guilford 3, Amity 2

Sept. 21: Guilford 4, Hamden 2

Sept. 28: Guilford 6, Shelton 0

Sept. 30: Glastonbury 1, Guilford 0

Oct. 3: Guilford 8, Mercy 0

Oct. 5: Guilford 2, Cheshire 1

Oct. 7: Norwalk 2, Guilford 1

Tues. Oct. 10: vs Branford at 6:30 p.m.

Thurs. Oct. 12: vs East Lyme at 6:30 p.m.

Sat. Oct. 14: vs Sacred Heart Academy at 1 p.m.

Tues. Oct. 17: vs Lauralton Hall at 4 p.m.

Sat. Oct. 21: vs North Haven at 1 p.m.

Mon. Oct. 23: vs Lyman Hall at 3:45 p.m.

Wed. Oct. 25: vs Sheehan at 6:30 p.m.