Sacred Heart Greenwich field hockey team shuts out St. Luke’s School on Senior Day, finishes regular season undefeated in FAA; Tigers seeded No. 1 in FAA Tournament

By David Fierro on November 3, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Photo by David Fierro: Sacred Heart Greenwich’s seniors gather during the varsity field hockey team’s Senior Day ceremony, following a game against St. Luke’s School on Oct. 30, 2023, at Sacred Heart Greenwich.

Sacred Heart Greenwich’s varsity field hockey team celebrated Senior Day in style this past Monday against visiting St. Luke’s School, closing out its regular season with another absolutely dominant performance.

The Tigers put the finishing touch on an undefeated FAA season, extended their winning streak to 11 games and are heading into the postseason in top form after posting an 8-0 win over St. Luke’s School.

Sacred Heart has an overall record of 13-1 and finished the regular season with a perfect 6-0 mark in the FAA, good for first place in the league. They are seeded No. 1 in the FAA Tournament, which begins on Monday, but they will receive a first-round bye and will host the FAA semifinals on Wednesday.

Photo by David Fierro: Sacred Heart Greenwich senior tri-captain Payton Sfreddo in action vs. St. Luke’s.

In Monday’s Senior Day triumph against St. Luke’s, senior tri-captain Payton Sfreddo registered one goal and one assist, while junior tri-captain Charly Nemec had one goal and two assists for the Tigers. Kingsley Ely also helped pace SHG’s offense, tallying twice.

Sfreddo is impressed with how well the team has performed throughout the season and the momentum it has heading into the playoffs.

“I think we finished the season super strong,” said Sfreddo, a four-season varsity player. “We’ve had a long winning streak and I think our team is really positive going into the postseason – the confidence building. Overall, we have team energy and camaraderie going into the postseason.”

Photo by David Fierro: Lauren Clark of Sacred Heart battles for the ball during a Senior Day game versus St. Luke’s School.

In the convincing win against St. Luke’s, Sfreddo started the scoring with a goal off Nemec with 11:04 left in the first quarter. Ely tallied off an assist from Sfreddo at the 6:55 mark of the opening quarter, then senior Skylar Stewart notched a goal off a Nemec pass with 2:35 still to go in the first quarter, making it 3-0.

Nemec and Ely added second-quarter goals, while Elle Corcoran and Xan Collins each scored in the second half in the winning effort.

Indeed, Senior Day was one to remember for the squad’s seniors.

Xan Collins of Sacred Heart Greenwich, left, looks to move the ball down the sideline against field hockey foe St. Luke’s.

“When we first walked into the locker room, it was decorated with a bunch of red stuff and it was so fun,” Sacred Heart senior tri-captain Emma Marvin said. “Being able to celebrate the team altogether was great. We got to look back on the four years that the seniors have been on the team and celebrated with the new underclassmen.”

Marvin especially appreciates her role as one of the captains and leaders of the varsity squad.

“Being a senior captain has been super fun,” she said. “Not only do you get to connect with the underclassmen, but also the fact they look up to the leaders of the team. It’s not only being a senior, but being a captain and being able to bring the team together has been super fun. It’s been a memorable experience.”

Members of the Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity field hockey team gather to celebrate the team’s seniors on Senior Day.

Sacred Heart’s lone loss of the season was to Taft School in the third game of the season. Since then, they have excelled on both ends of the field against each opponent.

“The coaching staff has really helped us lead our team,” Stewart noted. “Alex Gheorghe (coach) has done such a great job of being so positive and uplifting. The underclassmen have really supported us and helped us as a team move forward.”

“Everyone has been super mature and when we face the super difficult team and we have all stepped up and moved as a team to take over these wins,” Stewart continued.

Payton Sfreddo gets ready to start a penalty corner with a pass for the Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity field hockey team.

Said senior Julia Randolph, who has been sidelined all season with an injury: “The season has been a lot of fun. We have a really great group of girls and we have a lot of underclassmen who are excited about the program and the seniors have been able to guide them. It’s been really fun and everyone has been really welcoming even though I can’t play. It’s been a great team environment for all of us.”

Sacred Heart’s Kingsley Ely gets ready to receive a pass during the team’s varsity field hockey game against St. Luke’s.

The Tigers have the home field advantage throughout the FAA Tournament and should get a home game in the opening round of the NEPSAC Class A Tournament, which follows the FAA tourney.

“I’m super confident going into the postseason, because each game we have gotten better at different things,” Sfreddo said. “Being able to be with each other for these two months is impactful. We’re going into the postseason ready to go and get some wins.

“We have great school spirit and support from our faculty and students here at Sacred Heart, so that will be super fun to represent our school and finish out the season strong,” she added.