By David Fierro
Sacred Heart Greenwich pulled out a dramatic 1-0 victory over Greenwich Academy in the championship game of the FAA Tournament on November 8 and just five days later, the Gators and Tigers met for the third and final time of the season, this time in the quarterfinal-round of the NEPSAC Class A Tournament.
And, as is always the case between these two longtime rivals, there was once again, plenty of drama.
There wasn’t a title at stake when Greenwich Academy and Sacred Heart played on Nov. 13, yet instead what was at stake was a chance to continue the quest for winning the biggest field hockey tournament of the season – the NEPSAC Class A tourney.
After 60 minutes of intense action, nothing was settled between fourth-seeded host Greenwich Academy and fifth-seeded Sacred Heart. Then, senior defender/captain Isa Packard struck for GA, making it the third time the charm for the Gators.
Packard’s goal with 5:02 remaining in the second overtime lifted Greenwich Academy to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Sacred Heart. GA advanced to Saturday’s semifinals (Nov. 16), where it will face top-seeded host Phillips Exeter Academy at 1 p.m.
The winner of the Greenwich Academy-Phillips Andover Academy semifinal will play the victor of the Taft School-Hotchkiss School semifinal on Sunday (Nov. 17) at Ethel Walker School, with a starting time of 11 a.m.
In the Gators’ NEPSAC Class A quarterfinal-round win versus Sacred Heart, Cordelia Blanc set up Packard’s goal, as GA coach Jamie Brower explained.
“Cordelia Blanc carried hard right, sent a hard shot, and after a deflection, Isa Packard was zoned in and put the rebound into the net,” said Brower, who noted how exciting this back-and-forth matchup was. “What a great field hockey game,” Brower added. “It was 0-0 all game, but don’t let that make you think it was a boring game. Both goalies had amazing saves. Both defensive teams had goal line saves. The fans were dialed in, and the sun was shining. As all GA-Sacred Heart games go, it was back and forth, and so close in all areas.”
Sacred Heart took 10 penalty corners in the game, while Greenwich Academy drew six penalty corners. Senior goalie Persia Shipman made 12 saves for the Gators. For SHG, senior Teresa Harkins registered six saves.
“We would like to congratulate GA for winning today’s game,” Sacred Heart coach Alex Gheorghe said. “It was a very beautifully played match between the two schools. We are incredibly proud of our team, led by our senior leaders. Overall, we can say, mission accomplished.”
Among some of the Tigers’ senior leaders were captains Ainsley Clough, Daphne Fallon, Charley Nemec and Harkins, all of whom had fantastic field hockey careers for the team. For the season, Sacred Heart finished with an overall record of 16-3, winning the FAA regular season and FAA Tournament championships.
Greenwich Academy improved its record to 16-2-2 (both of its losses were to Sacred Heart) with the NESPAC Tournament victory against its main rival and is two victories away from capturing the New England Championship, which they won in 2022. GA is captained by Lavinia Cartellieri and Packard.
“Sacred Heart drew many more corners on us than we wanted, but our defensive penalty corner team played with grit,” Brower said of the quarterfinal matchup. “Onto the overtime with kids who were spent, both teams, found grit and determination driving them. High school rivalries are great, but I do think that this one brings out the best in both teams.”
“It was awesome,” Brower continued. “But I’d be remiss to leave out the fact that GA played an excellent 60 minutes. We get to play this team often in our season, and we have the utmost respect for their program – they did end the series with two wins to our one. Every game with them is the gold medal. All the best on one field, and they all know each other, and the coaches know each other – it’s a special battle and I do believe that it makes both of our programs better.”
