Sacred Heart Greenwich’s field hockey team started its season in familiar fashion on Tuesday, beginning it with a convincing win.

A dominant force in the FAA for numerous years, the Tigers got their 2024 season underway with an impressive 6-0 victory over visiting FAA foe School of the Holy Child. The Tigers (1-0) scored all six goals in the first half and never looked back, opting to play a passing game during the second half.

On the FAA field hockey scene, Sacred Heart has been one of the premier teams for well over a decade. The 2023 season saw Sacred Heart win the FAA regular season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the FAA Tournament. Advancing to the FAA Tournament final, Sacred Heart was edged by longtime neighborhood rival Greenwich Academy, 2-0, in an intense, championship matchup. Many of the faces have changed on this year’s Tigers varsity field hockey team, but coach Alex Gheorghe’s squad also returns a strong nucleus of athletes.

“It’s a very young team, we have six freshmen that are starting,” Gheorghe said. “It’s clearly a rebuilding year, we are going to try to progress as the season goes on.”

The Tigers are expecting senior captains Ainsley Clough, Daphne Fallon and Charly Nemec to help spark the squad throughout the season. The talented trio are experienced varsity athletes who know what it’s like to compete in pressure-packed postseason games. Tuesday’s triumph against league opponent Holy Child illustrated some of Sacred Heart’s strengths.

“I think we had a great start, obviously, a strong game to start with, winning 6-0,” Nemec said. “I think there’s definitely progress to be made. We’re a young team, we have some freshmen, but I think we did pretty well. Obviously, it’s hard keeping possession for around two-and-a-half quarters, but I think we did a good job of defending our goal. “I think we did a really good job of passing and using the whole field.”

One of the highlights of the Tigers’ season-opening victory over Holy Child was a three-goal performance by Ainsley Clough and a two-goal effort by Xan Collins. Caeley Clough, Ainsley’s younger sister, added a goal in the winning effort.

Ainsley Clough is a midfielder who plays on the left side. She will continue her field hockey career next season at College of the Holy Cross.

“Being one of the captains of the team is an honor,” Ainsley Clough said. “The goal as a captain is to build off the legacy of previous captains and learning how to step up into this role and work with my teammates, so I can be the best I can be for them.”

Indeed being part of the Sacred Heart Greenwich field hockey program has been a time to remember and enjoy for Clough.

“It’s taught me a lot of lessons – how to face adversity and challenges, but also what it is to be a part of a team,” she said. “For me, being a part of this program has allowed me to find confidence in myself and learn how to work with other people –to collaborate and adjust and adapt during games.”

Nemec is a midfielder, while Fallon helps lead the Tigers’ defense, which is known for being extremely effective.

“It definitely felt great to get out there for our first official game,” Fallon said of the Tigers’ triumph versus Holy Child. “We’ve had a lot of play days and scrimmages before this against good competition to get ready for this game. Having that competition really made us ready to take on the FAA and NEPSAC schools as well.”

“I think there’s a lot of excitement seeing how well we did our first game and that should continue throughout the season,” Fallon continued.

The Nemec family have made great contributions to the SHG field hockey program. Charly’s older sister Kate was a 2023 Sacred Heart Greenwich graduate and is playing the sport at Stanford University. Caroline Nemec, who graduated from SHG in 2022 is playing field hockey at the University of Virginia. Charly Nemec will too take her field hockey skills to Virginia.

“I have been on the team since I was a freshman,” Nemec noted. “It’s been great, this is probably my favorite part of the school. It’s been an honor to be a part of the team, it’s like a family. I’ve been inspired by everyone who has played on it.”

A senior, Teresa Harkins returns as Sacred Heart’s goalie. In the season-opener, Sacred Heart scored four goals during the first quarter and added two more in the second. Ainsley Clough tallied twice in the first quarter.

“The captains are fantastic, all three of them have been with me for a long time,” Gheorghe said. “They are great role models; they are very supportive and patient with the team.”

The Tigers’ 2024 roster includes: Hadley Caras, Lauren Clark, Ainsley Clough, Caeley Clough, Xan Collins, Elle Corcoran, Elizabeth Devine, Kinley Dierckson, Joanna Eken, Kingsley Ely, Daphne Fallon, Teresa Harkins, Charly Nemec, Lindsay Schwind and Casey Smith.

“Scoring goals is great, but I think working as a team connecting – not having one person scoring, one person dribbling is what we’re also hoping to do,” Nemec noted. “Also, out-letting is a big thing for us and we did a great job of transferring the field a lot.”

The younger players on the team, including the first-season varsity athletes, are rounding into form as they adjust to the high level of play.

“They are coming along really well,” Clough said of the team’s less experienced players. “They are putting in an amazing effort during practice and I am proud of them. Even though we’ve just started, I’ve already seen so much growth. We are working really hard with them in learning the fundamentals.”

The Tigers are back in action Saturday against NEPSAC foe Kent School at 3 p.m. Last fall, SHG qualified for the NESPAC Class A Tournament, where they lost to Noble and Greenough, 1-0, in the quarterfinal-round.

“I think as long as we play for each other we are going to achieve success,” Fallon said. “If we are connected with one another we are going to keep that success and hopefully, keep up our goals denied and get a lot of wins.”

“We want to try to find success together and bonding is important,” Nemec added. “We’ve always been close and that’s where we’ve found our success on the field. Building our team off the field to working together to build our team on the field is the biggest thing.”

Said Gheorghe: “So far, I’m very happy with the start. One of the goals of our team is to make the final tournament. The goal is also to prepare this generation for the upcoming years.”