Scoring early and often, Greenwich Country Day School’s girls varsity lacrosse team left no doubt at all which direction its home game against FAA foe Hopkins School was headed.

Showing their versatility and depth, the Tigers seized a substantial lead on the Hilltoppers early and never looked back, adding another win to their record in the FAA, which is even stronger than it was in season’s past.

Greenwich Country Day is, of course, one of those strong squads in the FAA, which they plan on making their mark in this spring, which should be exciting for head coach Caitlin Copelan’s team. GCDS improved its FAA record to 2-1 with an impressive 15-3 victory over Hopkins School at Offit Field on April 13th.

Overall, the Tigers have played well in each game so far this season. They lost close games against formidable NEPSAC foes Hotchkiss School and Taft, as they were edged by them, 11-9 and 7-6, respectively and held their own in an 11-8 loss to neighborhood rival Greenwich Academy. The Tigers have also defeated FAA opponents School of the Holy Child, 8-6 and King School, 15-3.

“We’re in a really good spot, we have a lot of different people contributing,” Copelan said. “We started off with a really hard schedule, a lot harder than we had in the past. I’m really proud of how we showed up against GA. We are just trying to continue to build off of that game.”

GCDS is captained by seniors Bianca Amen, Caroline Cabrera, Katherine Chandra and Ella Michaelis. The fantastic foursome bring leadership, skill and inspiration on daily basis to the Tigers, who possess plenty of depth.

“A few games into the season I’m really happy about our team,” said Cabrera, an attack/midfielder who has been a member of the Tigers’ varsity lacrosse squad since she was in eighth grade. “We have a lot of people on our team who can function on all cylinders and I think that’s been different from our teams in the past, so I’m really excited to see how our season is going to go.”

In their decisive home win against Hopkins, GCDS held a 6-0 lead after the first quarter, then entered halftime with a commanding 11-1 advantage.

“I thought it was a great team effort,” Cabrera noted. “Everyone contributed on and off the field. People went out there, had fun and executed and that’s what made it great.”

Sophomore Ryan Milim recorded two goals and one assist, Michaelis totaled one goal and three assists, sophomore Lily Jacobson tallied twice, Chandra had two goals and Cabrera added one goal and one assist for Greenwich Country Day in its victory versus Hopkins.

“I think we did so well, we were super fortunate, we only lost two seniors last year, so we were able to build off of last year,” said Amen, who helps anchor the Tigers’ defense, along with sophomore Anabelle Kim. “Today, we really connected on the field.”

Sparking the Tigers’ offense each game have been Cabrera, Chandra, Michaelis, Milim and sophomore Sadie Manger. Against Hopkins, Manger posted one goal and two assists, while freshman teammates Vivienne Molloy and junior Eleanor Hill added one goal apiece.

“They have done a really good job, we have a bunch of freshmen who are versatile and bring a lot to our team, energy wise and talent wise,” Michaelis said of the squad’s underclassmen. “They’ve had a great start to the season and I’m excited to see what they can do.”

The Tigers’ captains are intent of making being a part of the team an enjoyable experience for each athlete.

“It feels really good to be a captain,” Michaelis said. ” I’m really happy to bring leadership and I’m focused on bringing the team together this year and really creating an inclusive environment for everyone and making everyone feel like they’re a key contributor to the team.”

Goals from Milim and Chandra gave the Tigers a 6-0 first-quarter lead on Hopkins. Jacobson tallied off a dodge with 9:52 left in the second quarter, making it 7-0 in favor of GCDS. Sophomore Dylan MacDougall scored off a catch-and-shoot at the 9:03 mark of the second quarter and freshman Jaden Sutter converted a free position shot, putting GCDS ahead, 9-0 with 6:52 still to go in the second stanza.

Jacobson added another goal, as did Chandra to close out the opening half for the talented Tigers, who also have a lot of senior contributors on their roster

“It’s by far our biggest class,” Copelan said of the seniors. “We have a lot of contributors on both ends of the field. It’s our first massive class that we have to replace.”

Sophomore Parker Lowe has been stellar in goal throughout the season for GCDS (3-4, 2-1 FAA). Milim had two draw controls and gathered three ground balls against Hopkins, senior midfielder Lara Young had one draw control, one ground ball and caused one turnover, Jacobson had four ground balls, two caused turnovers and one draw control and Cabrera posted four draw controls for the victorious Tigers.

“It’s my fifth year on the team and I think we’ve grown so much,” Amen said. “We’re a close team and this year it really shows on the field. We’re able to connect and we want to keep up that confidence for the rest of the season.”

Said Chandra: “This is also my fifth year on the varsity team. This year, our team has bonded together really well and we’re playing like a team more so than I’ve seen in last year. We have a lot of people who are younger, who work really hard and we have a lot of people who bring different skills, so we’re very versatile. People can play all different positions and it helps on the field and in practice.”

In a 15-3 triumph at King School on April 8th, Sutter scored a team-high four goals, Milim recorded a hat trick, Chandra registered two goals and four assists, Manger had two goals and four assists, Michaelis tallied twice and Hill added a goal in the winning effort.

Manger scored four times and Milim had a pair of goals in the Tigers’ 8-6 triumph against Holy Child on April 2nd.

“Our goals are to play two halves, to have a lot of different contributors and be hard for people to scout us,” Copelan noted. If they stop one person, we want to be able to have three, four five other threats. Also, we want to play as a team defensively.”

GCDS visits St. Luke’s School for an FAA game on April 17, then travels to Hamden Hall Country Day School for another league matchup on April 22. They return home for a key FAA game versus Greens Farms Academy on April 23rd.

“GFA is our next big game,” Amen said. “It’s always a hard, competitive game for us. We played GA last weekend and I thought it was a great game and one of the best games we had so far. I’m excited for GFA.”