Photo by David Fierro: From left to right: Melanie Saunders and Emily Rizzi are senior captains of the Greenwich Academy varsity lacrosse team, which posted a 6-1 victory over visiting Choate Rosemary Hall on Sept. 23, 2026.

Coming off a season in which it won the FAA regular season and tournament titles, then advanced all the way to the championship game of the NEPSAC Class A Field Hockey Tournament, Greenwich Academy is intent of developing its first-year varsity players and introducing its returning athletes to expanded roles this fall.

“We definitely have a younger team this year, so I think we’re building from the bottom up, but we’re really excited for the rest of the season,” said Greenwich Academy senior forward/center midfielder, Emily Rizzi, who is also one of GA’s captains. “Last season was amazing, we had amazing captains, amazing seniors. I think it’s really building off that energy we had last year and continuing it this year.”

Rizzi and senior defender Melanie Saunders captain the Gators, who earned a highly impressive record one season ago, which saw them edge neighborhood rival Sacred Heart Greenwich, 2-1, in the championship game of the FAA Tournament and defeat the Tigers by the same score in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament semifinals. Seeded first, Greenwich Academy dropped a tough 3-0 decision to Phillips in the NEPSAC Class A final. GA topped Tabor Academy, 6-0, in the first round of the NEPSAC Tournament.

Guided by head coach Jamie Brower and assistant coaches Sally Duval and Grace Schulze – a 2020 GA graduate, who starred in field hockey for the Gators and played the sport at the Division I level in college – Greenwich Academy is relying on Rizzi to help lead the squad offensively and Saunders to pace the defensive unit.

“Those two joined the team when they were sophomores, so they have gone through a couple of rounds of captains and see what they like and what they don’t like,” Brower said. “They’re finding their way into being leaders of the team.”

Mallory Walker, Georgia Schmitz, Quinn Leahy, Mia Jones, Ella Loehnis, Kensington Worden were among some of the graduates from last season’s standout, championship Greenwich Academy field hockey squad. Walker is continuing her field hockey career at Cornell University and Georgia Schmitz is playing field hockey at Columbia University.

“We’re still in the process of figuring out who to go where,” Brower said of her new-look team. “We’re still figuring where we can get the most out of everyone. Our trajectory is going to be through the roof. We’re figuring out where everyone goes and it’s fun.”

GA began its 2026 season with a road victory against in-town rival Greenwich Country Day School on Sept. 15th, then was defeated in an away game versus King School on Sept. 17. After competing in the Max Preps Field Hockey Tournament on the road, the Gators got back on the winning track, upending visiting Choate Rosemary Hall, 6-1, on Sept. 23rd.

Against Choate Rosemary Hall, Greenwich Academy took a 2-0 lead into halftime, then quickly extended its advantage once the second half commenced. The Gators went ahead 3-0 with a goal at the 12:53 mark of the third quarter and made it 4-0 with 10:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. Junior Maddie Lane converted a shot with 7:18 to go in the final quarter, putting GA on top, 5-0.

“I think so far this season we’ve been practicing really well,” said Rizzi, who scored a goal in GA’s FAA Tournament final win versus Sacred Heart one season ago. “We’ve been passing a lot better, we’ve been using the sidelines today, which I was really proud of going up the baseline.”

Along with Rizzi, sophomore Barrett Hanson also enabled the Gators to apply pressure on Choate throughout the game, generating offensive opportunities. Junior Vianna Gabelli, sophomore Elizabeth Winston and sophomore Marina Vintiadis are among some of the athletes that have ignited the forwards during the early part of the season.

Penny Perkins, a junior, Barrett Hanson and Caroline Donnelly, a junior, are among some of GA’s effective and talented midfielders. Senior Hadley Stockton started GA’s game against Choate Rosemary Hall and senior Niamah Cooney, a senior also saw time in goal, so the Gators possess two standout goalies.

Saunders, sophomore Annie Hanson and sophomore Pippa Heyworth are among the athletes helping to lead the Gators’ defense.

“Both goalies are playing,” Brower noted. “It’s good for them to have each other and push each other.”

GA’s senior athletes include Rizzi, Saunders, Cooney and Stockton. The juniors are Perkins, Lane, Gabelli, Pearson Bancroft, Donnelly and Winnie Newman and Vintiadis, Annie Hanson, Barrett Hanson and Heyworth are sophomores. The freshmen on the team are Agnes Bluenstein and Maggie Ryan.

Greenwich Academy is in action again on Sept. 30 when it travels to New Haven for a game against FAA foe Hopkins School. The Gators host Hotchkiss School on Oct. 3 and play host to St. Luke’s School Oct. 6th. The biggest FAA field hockey rivalry of the season, Greenwich Academy versus Sacred Heart Greenwich is scheduled to take place on Oct. 21 at 3:45 p.m.

Indeed, the GA squad knows it has strengths to draw upon throughout the season.

“I think we’re definitely strong everywhere,” Saunders noted. “Our corners were looking really good too. Our team is fast and we put in a lot of effort. We don’t like to give up 50/50 balls easily. I really appreciate the athleticism and grit on our team as well.”

“Being part of the GA field hockey team, it’s my favorite part of GA. “I love the coaches, I love all the people. Our goals, we just want to keep growing, making sure everyone is connecting with each other off the field, on the field and just have the most fun and have the best season we could have.”

Here are more pictures from Greenwich Academy’s game against Choate Rosemary Hall.