After a remarkable and unforgettable run to the top a season ago, the Branford field hockey team is making major waves toward a repeat of the feat by broadcasting itself via fighting the top entities in the state in close contests.

A year ago, Branford had a storybook campaign and banner year—finishing 16-5-1-1 overall in making the SCC Tournament final, but more importantly, the squad advanced to its first state championship game in 11 years and captured its first state crown since 2005. In the Class M State Tournament, Branford boasted a stingy defense to garner the title with four 1-0 victories over Brookfield, then-defending titleist Guilford, Hand, and then New Milford in the finale.

Thus far through their Class M state title defense, Head Coach Pete Frye and the Hornets are on the fast track to notch an opportunity to uphold the throne with a 5-3-2-1 mark. As is the case across the high school sporting landscape, Branford has had to reshuffle the deck from that squad of a year ago, but the Hornets hold the personnel to grow and keep things on the fast track toward the tournament.

“We lost a lot of skilled players to graduation. However, we also have some talented core returning players,” said Frye. “We will be very young on our front line, and there will be some growing pains that come with that. Coming off a state championship, obviously we would like to successfully defend.”

On the back line with the Branford defense sits one of the senior captains and a tenacious defender in center back Reanna Sachs, who additionally holds a strong stroke with possession of the ball. She sits as one of the last lines of protection for a fellow classmate and captain in goalie Julia Bozzi, who posted 16 shutouts in the title campaign of 2022. Midfielder Ellie Wieland wraps up a star-studded section of great leaders for the group.

“Reanna Sachs is an emotional leader of the team. She is an extremely strong defender who just may hit the ball harder than any one in the state,” said Frye. “Julia is an excellent leader both on and off the field. Ellie is one of the most tenacious defenders in the state, and she was a huge contributor to last season’s state championship.”

Additionally within the midfield is another stellar senior in Mia d’Amuri, plus joining her in that tier of the turf is senior Allison McCarthy.

“Mia d’Amuri is a very skilled player who played a huge role both offensively and defensively last year. She is one of the most skilled players in the conference,” Frye said. “Allison McCarthy is an excellent leader and always gives maximum effort.”

Branford’s junior class helps fortify the defensive end of the field with Eliza Burgess, Skylar Dunn, and midfielder/defender Randee Chobian. The underclassmen also show great promise with sophomores Aliza Giordano and Tate Jones at forward, with the latter also doubling as a midfielder, plus freshman forward/midfielder Jessica Radziunas.

“Aliza Giordano scored the game-winning goal in the state final game. Tate Jones is a very athletic player who fits anywhere on the field,” said Frye. “Eliza Burgess started on last year’s defense and is an extremely intelligent defender. Skylar Dunn is a strong player moving into the starting lineup this year. Randee Chobian is a very skilled player expected to contribute heavily. Jessica Radziunas is an extremely athletic player with a very unique skill set.”

In the regular season, Branford has faced and will battle a bevy of formidable competitors both in and out of the SCC ranks with New Canaan (prevailing 1-0 to start the season on Sept. 9), Newtown (taking a close 1-0 defeat on Sept. 23), Wilton (on the road on Oct. 18), defending Class S title winner North Branford (for the regular season finale on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m.), plus the typical league rivals in Cheshire (with the Rams prevailing by a slim 1-0 margin on Sept. 19), Guilford, and Hand.

Frye concluded that this edition of the club has quite an eclectic mix in terms of experience, though no matter their background, they must form a balanced spirit that is both composed and competitive.

“New Canaan, Newtown, Cheshire, Guilford, Hand, Wilton, and North Branford are all teams that have rosters worthy of top 10 rankings,” said Frye. “We have new players mixed with some veterans, and the challenge will be learning to trust each other and play with the controlled reckless abandon that is necessary to be successful, especially late in the season. We play one of the toughest schedules in the state, and that speaks to the trust.”

Frye is in the middle of his sixth season as the head coach for the Hornets, and he is assisted along the sidelines this fall by Jenna Limone (in her 5th year) and three-campaign veteran Michaela Hobbs.

The 2023 Branford field hockey team’s roster is comprised of seniors McCarthy, Sophia Taranto, Iva Sekerovic, Rachel Esposito, Isabella Kelly, d’Amuri, Wieland, Sachs, and Bozzi; juniors Dunn, Chobian, Sydney Dahl, and Burgess; sophomores Jones, Stacia Comen, Hana Omeragic, Chloe Pompano, Siara Humphries, Haley Robison, and Giordano; plus freshmen Calleigh Miller, Caitlin Reilley, Radziunas, and Lilly Panuccio.

2023 Branford Field Hockey Regular Season Results and Schedule

Sept. 9: Branford 1, New Canaan 0

Sept. 12: Branford 6, Shelton 1

Sept. 15: Branford 4, Mercy 0

Sept. 19: Cheshire 1, Branford 0

Sept. 23: Newtown 1, Branford 0

Sept. 27: Branford 2, Sacred Heart Academy 2

Sept. 29: Branford 1, Lauralton Hall 1

Oct. 3: Branford 2, North Haven 0

Oct. 6: Branford 3, Lyman Hall 0

Oct. 10: Guilford 3, Branford 2

Oct. 13: Hand 1, Branford 0

Wednesday, Oct. 18: at Wilton at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 19: at Hamden at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 21: vs. Amity at noon

Monday, Oct. 23: vs. Sheehan at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 24: vs. North Branford at 6:30 p.m.