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Greenwich High Field Hockey Eyes A Deep Postseason Run

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Sammy Gould controls the ball, as the Greenwich High School field hockey team takes on Laurelton Hall during the first scrimmage of the fall season. (John Ferris Robben photo)
Sammy Gould controls the ball, as the Greenwich High School field hockey team takes on Laurelton Hall during the first scrimmage of the fall season. (John Ferris Robben photo)

Last season, the Greenwich High School field hockey team bowed out of the playoffs a lot earlier than it hoped. With a roster loaded with upperclassmen that haven’t forgotten about last year’s disappointment, Big Red is looking to make some serious noise this time around.

“I see a lot of depth hopefully,” GHS head coach Allyn Orrico said. “We have a ton of seniors on our varsity roster because that class was stacked with talent across the board. I am hoping we can gel as a unit, between all the incoming freshmen and our senior class. I think our biggest task this year is going to be to get everybody to gel as quickly as possible.”

Last year, Big Red entered the CIAC class L tournament with a 7-4-4 regular season and the 15th seed. However Greenwich got stunned it the qualifying round against fellow FCIAC foe No. 18 seeded Norwalk, falling 3-2 in overtime to end its season.

Big Red’s Zoe Metalios battles for control of the ball during the scrimmage Tuesday. (John Ferris Robben photo)
Big Red’s Zoe Metalios battles for control of the ball during the scrimmage Tuesday. (John Ferris Robben photo)

This year, Big Red will be led by a trio of its top senior athletes, as Erika Hvolbeck, Caroline Stinebaugh and Kate Palastro were named captains.

“I expect great things from them, both on and off the field,” Orrico said. “Moving forward from last year, they were just tremendous student-athletes. They are great students, great people and great athletes. They have everything. They have already started the fall with some great leadership qualities. They helped out our tryout process, which is always daunting. That went off without a hitch. Their energy is off the charts and it’s obvious that I expect great things from them.”

While the goalie position is still up in the air for Greenwich High, the Cards have talented athletes at defense. Leading the way at defense will be Stinebaugh. Joining Stinebaugh at defense and returning will be fellow senior Cate Decker. Junior Emily Anderson is a new addition to the defense at the varsity level and Orrico has high hopes for seniors Elizabeth Fernandez and Emily Hopper.

“We have a lot of depth at the defense, but it’s a mix of depth and getting the girls to learn a new system,” Orrico said. “We are going to try and be a little more aggressive at defense. We need to step it up a little bit and be more aggressive in our play.”

At midfield, there is a massive fight for starting time, as Greenwich has a handful of athletes that are battling to crack the starting roster. Returning from last year’s roster is junior Sophie Portera, but other than the solid junior, the other remaining slots are up for grabs.

“I have so many amazing midfelders,” Orrico said. “It’s going to take a good look at our scrimmages to try and see who rises to the occasion. It’s an open competition right now. I expect to see a really good competition in that midfield because we are so deep.”

Greenwich’s biggest strength this season will come from its potent attack. Captains Palastro and Hvolbeck will be returning, however so will last year’s standout, junior Paige Mautner. Senior Jess Lagano will be back, as will sophomore Maggie O’Gorman, who Orrico said is coming off a breakout freshman season.

“We are very deep with our forwards and hopefully we can avoid that injury bug that effects a lot of people,” Orrico said. “We are very talented at the forwards and that’s really exciting to see. What I want to stress with the girls is balance. We are looking to be dangerous and potent on attack, but also we want to build that balance that you need and have a great defense.”

For Orrico and Big Red, the team’s strength, in addition to its stellar attack, is it’s depth.

“It’s actually a double-edged sword,” Orrico said. “It’s a very nice thing to have because you like to have a strong and deep program. But one of the hardest parts of coaching is that there will be a lot of girls disappointed because they aren’t going to get a position on the team to start with. Throughout the season they might not get as much playing time as they want. We do the best we can, but at this level you have to find that fair balance that allows the girls that really want to play in college to develop, and the girls that don’t want to play in college to enjoy their time on the team. It’s a hard balance to find.”

Greenwich High School’s Erika Hvolbeck moves the ball oup the field during Tuesday’s scrimmage. (John Ferris Robben photo)
Greenwich High School’s Erika Hvolbeck moves the ball oup the field during Tuesday’s scrimmage. (John Ferris Robben photo)

While the talent and depth is there for Greenwich this year, it’s all about getting the team’s chemistry to where it needs to be in order to be successful. That’s going to be a challenge for Orrico and her coaching staff.

“We have a lot of depth and talent individually, but especially with a high school program, you only get them for such a short period of time and the task is to get everybody on the same page as fast as possible,” Orrico said. “You have can have 20 individually amazing and talented athletes, but getting them to play as one unit is the biggest challenge as a high school coach.”

In order for the Cardinals to be successful, they have to battle through the usual group of tough FCIAC and non-conference opponents.

“This FCIAC and this state is so tough,” Orrico said. “If you look at high school field hockey across the country, I think the state of Connecticut, as well as just our league, is so underrated. It’s full of talent and there are so many clubs that are playing in this area. Although a lot of these girls go to different high schools, they play on club together. This area and state are just loaded with talent. In my opinion, there’s so much parity this year that it’s really going to be a slugfest.”

Despite the tough competition, the goals will remain the same for Orrico and the Cardinals. Anything less than being the FCIAC and CIAC class L champions would be selling the team short, according to the head coach.

“Yes, they are lofty goals, but I want to teach the girls that you always want to set the bar high,” Orrico said. “We need to work as hard as we can to obtain that. Obviously as a coach I want to get the team moving to that goal, but the thing that I love about the girls in this program is that if I didn’t say that goal to them, that’s the first thing that would come out of their mouth. They are a very dedicated and hungry group.”

And Orrico learned about those lofty goals from her time playing as a member of the Greenwich High field hockey team.

“It’s a nice luxury here, going back to when I was a senior here and winning a state championship,” Orrico said. “That’s what I learned from my coaches. I feel very blessed and so privileged to be able to come back to such a strong program that is rich in tradition. I have a lot invested in it because I got so much out of it that I want to make sure I give back what I got out of it.”

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