Three first half goals led to one big win for Sacred Heart Greenwich’s field hockey team against an opponent it always eagerly anticipates competing against – Greenwich Academy.

Each victory for a team, is of course, significant, but the Tigers’ triumph against the Gators on October 15 was especially special.

Coming off a tough loss to Hotchkiss School, Sacred Heart Greenwich got right back on the winning track, while handing Greenwich Academy its first defeat of the season, earning an impressive 3-1 home win against their longtime neighborhood rival.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Sacred Heart Greenwich senior Ainsley Clough said. “We all worked so hard, we came out so strong, even after a tough loss against Hotchkiss. We bonded together, we rose to the occasion and we just came out so strong. Our team had so much energy, so much spirit, so much heart.”

The victory moved Sacred Heart’s over record up to 9-2 and raised its FAA mark to a perfect 5-0. The Tigers took over sole possession of first place in the FAA, while Greenwich Academy is in second place. The team that finishes with the best regular season record in the FAA, wins the regular season title and receives the No. 1 seed and home field advantage in the league tournament. Greenwich Academy is 11-1-1 overall and 5-1 in the FAA.

Clough, senior captain Charly Nemec and Xan Collins scored one goal apiece for SHG, which shares a storied rivalry with Greenwich Academy. Last season saw Sacred Heart win the regular season meeting between the rivals and claim the FAA regular season title. Greenwich Academy was then victorious against SHG in the FAA Tournament final, claiming the championship. In 2022, GA and SHG played each other four times, going 2-2, with Sacred Heart winning the FAA Tournament title and Greenwich Academy defeating the Tigers in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament quarterfinals.

“I think the most important thing was that we came out super strong,” Tigers senior captain Daphne Fallon said. “We kept our composure and momentum the entire game, so we were able to capitalize on all of our plays, all of our passes and we really kept the energy going the entire game.”

Greenwich Academy’s goal came from Cordelia Blanc, a freshman forward/midfielder. GA’s performance level improved in the second half, yet the first two quarters of action mostly belonged to the host Tigers.

“Sacred Heart played a great game,” Greenwich Academy coach Jamie Brower said. “They were aggressive, they challenged every ball, they were effective at drawing corners and executing on corners. We were hesitant in both circles and we just didn’t go for every ball.”

Both teams battled for possession and competed fiercely as the matchup remained scoreless until 4:47 remained in the opening quarter. That’s when Ainsley Clough scored, capitalizing on a penalty corner to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

“On the corners, we’ve been working hard trying to do different things, different tactics and it came down to the hustle on our team and we just kept fighting until the very last minute to put the ball in the hole,” Ainsley Clough noted.

With only 22 seconds left in the first quarter, Charly Nemec got a shot past Greenwich Academy senior goalie Persia Shipman, who was under a lot of pressure, especially in the first half, making it 2-0 in favor of the Tigers.

“It was a really big deal that we scored early on the corners,” Nemec noted.

SHG continued to carry the momentum in the second quarter. Just 59 seconds into the second period, Xan Collins tallied off another penalty corner, extending the Tigers edge to 3-0.

“We were able to capitalize on a lot of our corners and we worked really hard on coming up with corners that were going to be the most successful,” Fallon said.

For the game, Sacred Heart drew six penalty corners and registered four shots on goal. Raising its pressure in the second half, Greenwich Academy had its scoring opportunities, finishing the game with eight penalty corners and six shots on goal.

The Gators’ goal occurred with 7:09 to go in the third quarter. Blanc got her stick on the ball during a scramble in front of the goal and tallied, bringing GA to within two goals of SHG. Greenwich Academy drew several penalty corners during the final two quarters of play, yet Sacred Heart limited their rival to one goal, due to stellar defensive play, particularly on the corners and seven saves from senior goalie Teresa Harkins.

“We played great, I’m very pleased with our performance,” SHG coach Alex Gheorghe said. “Everyone was spot on. “Overall, Greenwich Academy is an incredible team. We defended the corners very well and we had a really good defensive performance against the No. 1-ranked team in New England. Our team was very energetic, we started the game strong and defended really well.”

Clough, Nemec, Collins and Elle Corcoran helped pace the Tigers’ ball movement/passing, while GA was led offensively by senior captain Lavinia Cartellieri, Blanc and sophomore Emily Rizzi.

“We need to figure out how to play big in big games,” Brower said. “We’re going to go back and see if we can figure it out, because we have a lot of big games coming up.”

“We didn’t do the simple stuff well,” Brower continued. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and get ready for our next game.”

That next game for Greenwich Academy is Friday (Oct. 18) at School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y.

Sacred Heart visits Millbrook School on Saturday, hoping to build upon the momentum it gained with their victory versus GA.

“I’ve been playing on the team since I was a freshman, GA is a big deal, so it’s definitely an honor to win the game,” Nemec said. “We’ve lost a couple of games to them recently and had a couple of hard losses this season as well, so to beat them – I think they’re No. 1 – is a big deal.”

“That was a good wake-up call, beating GA one of the best teams in the league, was a great wake-up for us and now I think we’re going to be ready for the rest of the season,” Nemec continued.

It was apparent watching the Tigers and Gators compete, that Tuesday’s game probably won’t be the last time the squad will face each other this fall. A meeting in the FAA Tournament and NEPSAC Tournament could very well happen again.

“They’re an amazing team and it’s always such a fun game to play with all the fans,” Fallon said. “To see that makes everybody want to work harder. It’s such a fun game to play in. Getting this one is just so much fun.”

“I’m so proud of this team, we’ve all worked really hard on and off the field,” Ainsley Clough said. “We all have a lot of hustle, a lot of heart and a lot of spirit.”