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10/06/2024 09:06 PMThe Valley Regional field hockey team has quite a different look to it from the one that collected five victories and a state tournament bid with a new coach. Still, despite the supposed face lift on the outside, the Warriors still house the same heart and desire to succeed and achieve this fall.
Last year, Head Coach Julie Labbadia and the Warriors notched five victories in their 16-contest regular season slate to finish with a record of 5-8-3. Valley’s mark was not good enough to qualify for the Shoreline Conference Tournament, though the 20th-seeded Warriors wound up in the Class S State Tournament and took a 2-1 qualifying round loss to No. 13 Haddam-Killingworth to finish 5-9-3 overall.
Valley has played to a 1-12 record this year, but the squad has had to deal a deck with much younger hands. Last year, Valley graduated three seniors from that playoff club. And this fall, due to unforeseen circumstances, a pair of other varsity players from last year could not play. This has led to Valley having seven returning varsity players and two returning JV players.
“Besides that, we have six brand new players on the team. We are a young team with only one senior,” said Labbadia. “With that in mind, we had to focus on going back to the basics this season. It can be really difficult for student-athletes to start a sport in high school. There is really so much to learn. Most athletes start a sport in elementary school and have a handle on the basics.”
Lone senior Lucy Resnisky is serving as one of the two team captains for the Warriors this fall. She is designated as the squad’s sweeper on the defensive side of the ball. Joining her as a steward is her junior counterpart in Lena Goldberg, who oscillates between offense and defense as a center midfielder.
“Lucy is a phenomenal leader who the rest of the players look up to. She has been a key player on our team for the past two seasons. She knows the game very well and is a natural leader on the field,” said Labbadia. “Lena brings joy and positivity to our team practices and knows how to balance the social dynamics of a team, which can be tricky in high school, so that the underclassmen feel seen. Beyond her skills, Lena is often the person that freshmen or new players go to when they have questions or need someone to talk to. She is so sweet and knows how to give feedback to our new players in a kind but constructive way. Her dedication and determination is contagious for her teammates.”
Junior Nina Giuliano proved herself as a sophomore by being the true team player on the turf, and she has earned herself a home as a veteran presence on a young unit for the Warriors. Another junior in Addie Guzallis is an athlete who stretches herself across the grass at forward/center midfield.
“Nina is the definition of a utility player. Last year, I put her in every single position on the field, and she mastered all of them. Due to being a young team, this year she found her home on defense. She plays center defense and does a great job keeping the ball out of the circle,” said Labbadia. “Addie started playing last year and picked up the sport extremely quickly. She is very quick and athletic. She either plays center forward or center midfield, depending on whether we are playing more defensively.”
Joining Guzallis and Goldberg on the defensive and midfield fronts is a sophomore standout in Scout Kornacki. Elleigh Ortola, another sophomore defender, is someone who is a fresh face to the varsity ranks–though she mastered the basics rather quickly thanks to offseason dedication.
“Lena, Scout, and Addie are the ones who create movement for our team up the field. They are aggressive and quick to the ball,” said Labbadia. “Last year, Scout was our only varsity substitute. Since then, her skill has been really fine tuned. We rely on her ability to move the ball up the field as a defensive midfielder. As an underclassman, she is really doing a great job finding her voice and being a leader on the field. Elleigh started playing field hockey this summer, and it honestly seems like she has been playing for years with how quickly she has picked up stick skills and defensive footwork. She has become someone we rely on in the defensive circle.”
Thus far, the best performance and defining moment for the Warriors was the culmination of all their in-game efforts with the initial season victory against non-conference opponent North Haven out of the SCC. Despite the typical labels that may come with a younger group, Valley is primed to pounce for more victories in the home stretch.
“We played North Haven and had a fantastic game,” said Labbadia. “This year has been a rebuilding season for us, but we're hoping to tack on another win against Norwich Free Academy [on the road on Thursday, Oct. 10]. Haddam-Killingworth will be a great game as well [at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8].”
As is the case with most high school programs in the local community, the Warriors are looking long term and are conducting camps within the town to get the youngsters involved early on the fast track to becoming future Warriors. While giving back to the community and teaching younger kids the ropes, several young athletes on the squad have also done a lot of learning themselves, as they have gotten the hot shot appointment to the top tier of action. The girls have taken on the pressure with great poise and pride.
“The last two years, we have run a youth clinic through Chester Parks and Recreation. The Valley players run the stations, and then the coaches and a couple other volunteers oversee and jump in to run stations, as well. There is also a large middle school intramural group run by Rebecca Igmundson and Jenn Blalock this year, so we have a promising future,” said Labbadia. “The players on the team have fantastic attitudes and want to be there and learn and improve every single day. They have heart and give it their all most days. We have put a lot of pressure on the new players to learn quickly this year. Normally, players have a couple years of JV to work on stick skills and positioning, but the new players are kind of being thrown into varsity this year without training wheels. They are handling it really well; their skills make leaps and bounds each week.”
Olivia Whitehead has been Labbadia’s assistant for the last two years. She’s also the head coach for the Valley softball team, and then Labbadia returns the favor in the spring as her assistant in the dugout.
The 2024 Warriors’ roster is comprised of seniors Resnisky, team manager Nataly Pavon; juniors Giuliano, Guzalis, Emily Bachand, Goldberg, Amelia Giantonio; sophomores Talia Shankar, Kornacki, Marina Morgan, Ortola, Upel Lhamo, Kayleigh Cornett, Sidney Archer, team manager Sarah Pinski; plus freshmen Carley Spearrin, and Madison Moisa.
2024 Valley Regional Field Hockey Regular Season Results and Schedule
Sept. 6; Old Saybrook 5, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 7: Waterford 7, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 10: Morgan 1, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 13: Westbrook 2, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 14: Somers 2, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 16: North Branford 5, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 18: Windsor 2, Valley Regional 0
Sept. 20: Haddam-Killingowrth 4, Valley Regional 1
Sept. 23: Old Saybrook 3, Valley Regional 1
Sept. 25: Valley Regional 2, North Haven 1
Sept. 26: Morgan 4, Valley Regional 1
Oct. 1: Westbrook 3, Valley Regional 0
Oct. 2: Somers 2, Valley Regional 0
Tuesday, Oct. 8: vs. Haddam-Killingworth at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 10: at Norwich Free Academy at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 15: vs. North Branford at 4 p.m.