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Greenwich Academy Lacrosse Dominates Competition, Wins FAAs

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It was a season to remember for the Greenwich Academy lacrosse team, as they finished with only two losses on the season and recaptured the FAA championships. (John Ferris Robben photo)
It was a season to remember for the Greenwich Academy lacrosse team, as they finished with only two losses on the season and recaptured the FAA championships. (John Ferris Robben photo)

Right from the start of the preseason, Greenwich Academy head coach Melissa Anderson thought this team might be on the right track.

Last season the Gators were stunned in the Fairchester Athletic Association championship game and the head coach wasn’t sure how this year’s team would respond to a rare season in which a championship in lacrosse wasn’t being celebrated.

Throw into the mix the majority of the team’s scoring from last year was lost to graduation and it’s easy to see why Anderson could have been concerned.

However, GA was more focused than ever. Working hard on both sides of the ball, as well as more attention to detail approach, Greenwich Academy not only had a season to remember, but also took back the FAA championship.

“What became really clear to us, despite the youth on the team, that they were not to be underestimated,” Anderson said. “When they were moving as a team, they were so much better than the sum of their parts. They had the personal relationships and trust and there wasn’t a single ego on this team. The whole team wanted to make sure we were all moving in the same direction, whether in a game or in practice.”

In the FAA semis, the Gators started its tourney run with a game against Holy Child. Anderson believes that her squad was still recovering from a tough Hotchkiss game on Saturday, a low-scoring, physical game that GA fell 6-5.

“It was our first loss of the season, so I think coming straight from that Saturday game to a Monday game in the FAA semis, we were very curious to see how they would respond,” Anderson said. “I think we were a little tentative. Holy Child came out really strong. They were all over the 50/50 balls, the midfield and the draws. Holy Child played like they had nothing to lose and it showed in the tempo on the game.”

The Gators came away with the thrilling 10-9 victory to advance to the FAA finals once again and battled cross-town rival Sacred Heart Greenwich. And at first it didn’t look good for Greenwich Academy, as they weren’t able to find the back of the net for the first 21 minutes of the game.

“We responded from our Holy Child game and played Sacred Heart with incredible energy,” Anderson said. “It was nice to see them bring that together in the finals. I thought we were playing great, but we didn’t get on the board yet. I told them that instead of trying to take time off the clock and wait for that measured opportunity, just go hard for that fast break if the opportunity is there and see if we could get some energy back.”

It worked, as Greenwich Academy scored four times in the final 10 minutes of the first half to grab the lead. From there, GA was energized and moving in the right direction. They went on to beat the Tigers 11-5 and realized a year-long goal of capturing the FAA titile.

“It felt really great, in part because we knew coming into this season that there was going to be a lot of parity in the FAA,” Anderson said. “Sacred Heart is always strong and Rye Country Day and Greens Farms all had really strong teams last year. They came into this season with a lot of experience. We were very focused on that. A couple of days before the tournament began, we weren’t really sure who the seeds were because the records were really close.”

With the FAA championship trophy back on North Maple Ave., the Gators capped off yet another memorable season. They finished the season 14-2 overall and will be looking for much of the same next season.

Going into this season, GA wasn’t sure what to expect with its offense. Losing 70 percent of their goals to graduation last season was enough to cause some concern for Anderson. However, it was a team effort that helped pick up where the team left off last year and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. GA’s opponents didn’t know who to worry about.

It was quite common to see Greenwich Academy’s offense post some stellar numbers this season. There was only two games this season in which GA scored less than 10 goals. They blitzed Rye Country Day School 18-11, Taft School 16-4, Holy Child 14-4, Choate 16-9 and King School 14-3 during the regular season.

It was a season to remember for the Greenwich Academy lacrosse team, as they finished with only two losses on the season and recaptured the FAA championships. (John Ferris Robben photo)
It was a season to remember for the Greenwich Academy lacrosse team, as they finished with only two losses on the season and recaptured the FAA championships. (John Ferris Robben photo)

“To be honest, we weren’t really sure what to expect offensively,” Anderson said. “Our scoring came from different kids at different times throughout the season. It wasn’t uncommon for one or two, of six of seven kids, to have three-goal games. It was really nice to see that if one kid wasn’t having a great day that the scoring would come from elsewhere. In recent history, we never had such a high unassisted goals percentage. It was more than 50 percent and all that means is that we moved the ball well and saw each other with good off-ball movement. That’s something that’s hard to stop when it’s working.”

This year’s offense ran best when on the fast break, but in the team’s settled offense, Greenwich Academy also fared well. Anna Khoury was lights out with her energy off the ball and her work, as was Courtney DeNaut.

“Anna ended up one of our leading scorers, but mostly on the assist side,” Anderson said. “She ended up seeing her teammates well and was making things happen that you wouldn’t notice. Some of both Courtney’s and Anna’s work came off transition, but a lot was in the settled offense where you need that person to send the pass into the scoring area and need that person to know what to do off ball to free up a teammate. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Anderson said that Chapin Ruffa was stellar off the drive and had a terrific season going to the goal. In transition, it was DeNaut, along with Whitney Balanoff and Karina Schulze that paced the Gators.

While GA was firing on all cylinders offensively, they were quite stingy defensively. As a team, the Gators only allowed 101 goals. To start the season, Greenwich Academy was on a streak where they outscored their opponents 55-23 in five games.

“I am so proud of them,” Anderson said. “We spend a lot of time coaching defense and I think we emphasize team defense more than most programs in the area. Some times it takes and others it doesn’t. It’s about your one-on-one defensive skills, but also your chemistry as a unit. I thought we were all working hard as a team and you could really see them working in perfect harmony.”

With team defense, it’s all about taking away the space that the attacker wants to find and securing the double before the 10-meter mark. That was something the Gators excelled at.

“We forced turnovers, created interceptions, created double teams that resulted in a recovery for us,” Anderson said. “That’s a real create to the unit.”

The opposing team’s best players got to see plenty of Caroline Keller or Mia Nixon and both could play in either the midfield or behind the line. Team captain Charlie Johnson never had an assigned player. Because she was so effective at creating the double team in the scoring area, Anderson wanted to make sure she was free to do that.

“The amount of turnovers she forced by being in the right place at the right time was incredible,” Anderson said. “Charlie led the team 37 forced turnovers just by herself and she had an additional 20 double teams. All things considered, she was just outstanding.”

In addition, Claire Aube, Tate Horowitz, Emmeline Kelley all played key minutes defensively for Greenwich Academy.

After starting last season in net as a freshman on the varsity squad, Maggie Reville stepped up her game this year and had a standout season as a sophomore.

“She was vocal in net and came out of the cage to spoil plays, which takes a lot of guts as a young goalie to do,” Anderson said. “She worked really well with her teammates. A great defense helps make a goalie look good by minimizing the real threatening shots. Likewise, a good goalkeeper affirms the work that the defense does. From a chemistry standpoint they fit together nicely. She had some pretty huge saves for us.”

With the majority of the team returning next season, as only Johnson graduated from the squad, Anderson has high expectations for another strong season

“We are going to really miss Charlie next year,” Anderson said. “The whole rising senior class has been terrific since they joined the team. They are the heart of the team and will have a bunch of leadership opportunities to set the tone for next year. I am really excited for next year.”

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