Not only taking on the best the state could offer in a typical season slate, the Branford field hockey team had to enter the 2023 season with the added pressure of trying to stay put on the summitt with a target on its back. While the Hornets did not get to hoist a plaque once again, they shined between the white lines and set the stage for getting right back on top in 2024.

As the defending Class M state champion from 2022, Branford valiantly fought to a 7-7-2 record for the regular season, and in the SCC Tournament, it was seeded sixth and notched a road 2-1 victory at No.3 Cheshire in the quarterfinals. The team then took a loss on penalty strokes to seventh-seeded Sacred Heart Academy in the semis.

In the Class M State Tournament, the Hornets were seeded ninth and recorded a 3-0 first round win at No. 8 Amity, before bowing out in the quarterfinals to another SCC foe, and eventual state champion, Hand by a 2-0 decision. Ultimately, the Hornets finished 9-5-2-4 for the entire campaign, when splitting up the several overtime decisions. Head Coach Pete Frye explained the girls may have not achieved the ultimate target of staying on top, but it was certainly not for lack of effort and toughness by playing in several high stakes, extra session contests, and stretching their limits with a short bench.

“Obviously coming off a state championship, our goal was to repeat,” said Fryer. “However, repeating is a very difficult task. We had a very successful season. We played in five overtime games this year, which is a crazy-high number, but our players excelled under that pressure every time and never stopped fighting. We really only had one or two subs on varsity this year, so our players were asked to play an inordinate amount of minutes. They did this and never complained.”

The Hornets certainly started off the year with a bang, by besting a school out of arguably the next best conference to the SCC in Connecticut. It proved to serve as the rule, rather than the exception, when it came to foretelling the Hornets’ fortunes in five-star matchups.

“This year we had two of my biggest wins as a coach. We beat our first FCIAC [Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference] team, New Cannan, in the first game of the year,” Frye said. “Also, we had our first win against Cheshire during my tenure as coach in the first round of the SCC Tournament. We play an extraordinarily hard out-of-conference schedule each year. We are learning how to win on that larger stage with each passing year.”

An added feather in the cap of accomplishments for Branford this fall was the fact that they played through the assumed pressures of being a reigning title-holder with a very young roster, particularly up front on offense.

“We evolved as a team, in that, we lost five all-conference players from last year's team,” said Frye. “Our starting forwards were two sophomores and a freshman, so we were very young offensively. We still competed with every team we played, and had a chance to win every game, except for the Wilton game [a 6-0 loss].”

The Hornets were led in scoring by freshman Jessica Radziunas, who had 13 goals, sophomore Tate Jones (nine goals), and senior Mia d'Amuri, with her eight tallies. Defensively in the cage, senior Julia Bozzi had 94 saves in net.

For team awards, Bozzi was the Lauren Hayes Memorial Most Improved Player, and senior Allison McCarthy won the Cathy McGuirk Memorial Scholarship. Senior Reanna Sachs was First Team All-SCC and All-State. Jones and senior Ellie Wieland were selected Second Team All-SCC.

While having several stronger offensive pieces returning to the fold in 2024, Branford does in fact part ways with a great depth of its defense. Still, the Hornets will deploy a great number of competitors to make up for those subtractions, with great additions that have fit into the program’s equation after this fall.

“We have now graduated all but one member of the 2022 defense. Eliza Burgess is the sole remaining member and will anchor next year's defense,” said Frye. “[Junior] Randee Chobian made huge strides this year, and will be a key player for us. Jessica Radziunas became our most dominant player on the field by tournament time, and has the chance to be truly a special player. Tate Jones is also extremely athletic and can play anywhere. [Freshman] Lilly Panuccio is a really exciting goalie and will immediately make an impact. [Sophomores] Hana Omeragic and Aliza Giordano also logged big minutes and will be contributors, as well as [freshman] Caitlin Reilley, who should be stepping up next season. Walsh Intermediate School field hockey went undefeated for its sixth-straight year, and there are a number of players who could make an immediate impact next year.”

In his final words on the 2023 campaign and his remarkable senior class, Frye commended the captains and veterans for the triumphs achieved in their tenures, and for conveying the templates to attain prominence on and off the turf.

“Our senior class leaves us as 2022 state champions. They were instrumental in the renaissance of Branford field hockey,” said Frye. “It had been 17 years since Branford won the tournament. Our captains in Reanna Sachs, Julia Bozzi, and Ellie Wieland were each instrumental in the string of wins last year, along with Mia d'Amuri. The rest of the senior class has been wonderful role models for our younger players, and the legacy they leave behind is a program that has continued to get stronger with each passing year.”

Frye completed his sixth season as the head coach for the Hornets, and he was assisted along the sidelines this fall by Jenna Limone (in her fifth 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, Omeragic, Chloe Pompano, Siara Humphries, Haley Robison, and Giordano; plus freshmen Calleigh Miller, Reilley, Radziunas, and Panuccio.

2023 Branford Field Hockey Regular Season Results

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

Oct. 18: Wilton 6, Branford 0

Oct. 19: Branford 2, Hamden 1

Oct. 21: Amity 4, Branford 3

Oct. 23: Branford 3, Sheehan 1

Oct. 24: North Branford 3, Branford 2