Greenwich High girls soccer team upends Fairfield Warde, shuts down Brien McMahon, earns No. 1 seed in upcoming FCIAC Tournament

By David Fierro on October 18, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by David Fierro:** Harriet Franks of Greenwich High School’s varsity girls soccer team (No. 10) controls the ball along the sideline during a game against Fairfield Ludlowe at Cardinal Stadium on Oct. 14, 2025. The Cardinals won the game, 5-1.

Two more victories resulted in one impressive spot for the Greenwich High School varsity girls soccer team.

The Cardinals recorded a convincing 5-1 home win over Fairfield Warde on Oct. 14, then closed out their regular season by shutting out Brien McMahon on the road, 3-0, on Oct. 17. The two wins gave Greenwich a record of 12-1-2 overall, earning it the No. 1 seed in the upcoming FCIAC Girls Soccer Tournament.

Greenwich, which last won the FCIAC Girls Soccer Tournament championship in 2012 when it shared the title with St. Joseph, will host eighth-seeded Fairfield Ludlowe in the FCIAC Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium. The Cardinals also won the FCIAC West Division title and the FCIAC regular season championship.

In the midst of one of their most successful seasons ever, Greenwich is currently enjoying a 13-game unbeaten streak. The Cardinals lost to St. Joseph, 1-0, on Sept. 5th and since then is 11-0-2, their two ties coming against Trumbull and Ridgefield. In their 5-1 triumph against Fairfield Warde, senior forward/captain Julia Gustafsson scored two goals and senior forward Harriet Franks had one goal to help pace Greenwich’s offense.

**Photo by David Fierro:** Ashley Morris of the Greenwich High School girls varsity soccer team (No. 12) pursues the ball along the sideline against Fairfield Ludlowe at Cardinal Stadium on Oct. 14, 2025. Greenwich won the game, 5-1.

Greenwich entered halftime of its home matchup versus Fairfield Warde with a 3-0 lead, exhibiting fine ball movement and strong overall play.

“We talked about capitalizing about the good position we put ourselves in and the first half, we moved the ball well,” GHS coach Simon Rumbold said. “They sat back and were looking to defend and that’s always difficult to break down. So, we did a good job of creating chances and taking our chances and taking our chances when we had them. We had a nice little cushion going into halftime.”

Gustafsson’s goal off a header in the 27th minute gave Greenwich a 1-0 lead. Franks assisted on the Cards’ opening tally. With 8:50 remaining in the opening half against the Mustangs, freshman Sophia Gega made it 2-0 in favor of GHS, converting a shot from approximately 30 yards out. Franks struck in the 34th minute, booting her shot inside the left corner, with the assist going to senior midfielder/captain Anna Lenschow, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage.

Greenwich High School’s Anna Lenschow of Greenwich’s varsity girls soccer team (No. 18) in action versus visiting Fairfield Warde on Oct. 14, 2025. The Cardinals were victorious, 5-1. Also in on the action is Emerson Shockley (No. 29) of GHS.

“I got the ball from Anna and that came from a lot of 1-2 combinations – I was going to pass it back, but it ended up ricocheting my way, so I just shot it and it came off the defender and went in,” Franks said of her goal.

Moving the ball past defenders, Gustafsson tallied off a shot from approximately 10 yards out, putting the hosts ahead of Warde, 4-0, at the 18:31 mark of the second half.

Gustafsson has spent the majority of the season solidifying Greenwich’s defense, but has recently played at the forward position, since freshman Siena Ettinger has been sidelined with an injury.

Anna Lenschow of the Cardinals varsity soccer team moves the ball against Warde at Cardinal Stadium. GHS won, 5-1.

“I think our offense is good, our freshman (Siena Ettinger) she is a big part of our offense, she’s injured, so I think having to make that switch, I think we’ve done great with it and I think our winger has now stepped into our left back, which is a big change for her, but she is doing really well,” Gustafsson said. “We have good chemistry up top and we still work really well together.”

Sealing Greenwich’s scoring and outstanding performance against Warde was junior Gabriella Cimador, who registered a goal off a long shot (about 35 yards out) after receiving a pass from senior forward Kayla Townsend with 6:35 to go in the second half, making it 5-1. Sophomore Taylor DeVries earned another victory in goal for GHS.

The victory was an example of how efficient Greenwich has played on both ends of the field.

Photo by David Fierro: Chloe Gandler of the GHS varsity girls soccer team in action during a 5-1 win vs. Fairfield Warde.

“We went in knowing it was going to be another tough game,” Franks said following the Warde game. “Then I thought we broke them down really well, because they were playing a lot of people in the back. So, I thought we did a great job offensively of being patient and moving the ball around. All of our goals came from quick 1-2 combinations.”

Greenwich’s standout season has earned it the No. 1 seed in the FCIAC Tournament – a position the team hasn’t been in for quite some time. Prior to sharing the FCIAC Tournament title with St. Joseph in 2012, Greenwich last won the FCIAC tourney outright when it defeated Warde for the championship in 2011.

Kenna Harlow of the Cardinals (No. 25) in action during Greenwich’s 5-1 victory over Fairfield Warde at Cardinal Stadium.

Greenwich will also host an opening round game in the CIAC Class LL Soccer Tournament and should it win, will keep getting games throughout most of the state tournament. The Cardinals are ranked No. 2 in Class LL and will be seeded second in the 27-team CIAC Class LL Tournament. Farmington (13-2) is ranked No. 1.

“It’s amazing, I couldn’t ask for a better ending and hopefully, we can keep more good times coming,” Franks said of Greenwich’s outstanding season. “It’s great to be a part of history and hopefully, we can keep it rolling.”