Undefeated and unscored upon.

Eight games into the season, that’s the incredible pattern the Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity field hockey team has followed, as the opposition continues to search for ways to generate a goal on the Tigers.

Sacred Heart (8-0) added FAA opponent Hopkins School to its list of teams it shutout, rolling to an impressive 7-0 victory over the Hilltoppers at Magnetti Field on Oct. 8th.

How’s this for being dominant? So far this fall, SHG has scored 52 goals during its eight games, while not allowing a single goal.

“I think we’re really coming together well, we’re all working super hard, putting in the dedication and it’s really paying off,” Sacred Heart junior Elizabeth Devine said following the team’s 7-0 home win over Hopkins School. “We definitely have a really big junior class and we all work together on the field.”

Sacred Heart, which is captained by seniors Caely Clough and Xan Collins, is 3-0 in the FAA after topping Hopkins. Against the visiting Hilltoppers (1-3 record in the FAA), the Tigers led, 3-0, after the first quarter of action, then entered halftime with a 6-0 advantage.

Clough opened the scoring, tallying with 9:30 remaining in the first quarter. Eighth grader Katherine Cerami gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead when she scored at the 8:59 mark of the opening quarter off an assist from freshman Hollis Koch. Cerami converted another shot, this time scoring off an assist from senior forward Whitney Rousseau, putting the Tigers on top, 3-0, with 2:14 left in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Collins scored off a pass from Clough at the 13:54 mark, then Rousseau lit the scoreboard with 5:24 to go in the quarter. Junior midfielder Kingsley Ely capped the first-half scoring, generating a goal with 2:07 left in the second period.

“I think we really connected as a team,” Ely said. “We were able to make the passes that we wanted and take the shots that we were working on and play as a team.”

Freshman forward Maeve Butler had a third-quarter goal, scoring off an assist from Devine, a junior forward/defender. Senior goalie Olivia, ‘Liv’ Starr didn’t need to make a save, as Sacred Heart did not allow a shot on goal in this FAA matchup against the visitors from New Haven.

Meanwhile, Hopkins goalie Maggie Nevis was kept busy, making 13 saves. As has been the case so far this season, the Tigers generated and created numerous shots on goal, forcing penalty corners to go along with scoring opportunities.

Said SHG junior forward Joanna Eken: “It’s going really well, our practices are really good and we have good intensity and it translates to our game. We’re getting the results we want, which is great.”

Sacred Heart made a short trip to play neighborhood foe and FAA opponent Greenwich Country Day School on Oct. 7. The Tigers left with a 7-0 win, scoring three goals in the first quarter and two goals apiece in the second and third quarters.

Eken scored off a pass from junior midfielder Lindsay Schwind for the game’s first goal with 7:08 left in the opening quarter. Rousseau notched a goal off an assist from Cerami at the 5:43 mark of the opening quarter and Eken converted a shot with 48 seconds to go in the first quarter, putting SHG ahead of GCDS, 3-0. Schwind has been a part of the Tigers’ varsity squad for several successful seasons.

“I started in eighth grade, so it’s been a really great experience to see how it is to be younger and then older,” Schwind said after Sacred Heart’s win over Hopkins. “It’s been really cool to see how our team has developed. We started as a young team and now we’re an older team and just seeing the bonds grow has been great.”

Rousseau added two second-quarter goals, with Anabelle King assisting on the second one, making it 5-0 in favor of Sacred Heart. Freshman forward Hollis Koch and Clough scored in the third quarter versus Greenwich Country Day.

A matchup against Rye Country Day School on Oct. 2 saw Sacred Heart prevail, 8-0. Rousseau, Koch and Lauren Clark tallied in the first quarter, with Koch scoring twice. In the second quarter, Devine scored off an Ely assist, then Ely netted a goal. Eken assisted on goals from Clough and Rousseau in the third period.

Junior defender/midfielder Hadley Caras got Sacred Heart going in its 8-0 triumph against Choate Rosemary Hall on Sept. 30, scoring at the 6:43 mark of the first quarter. Caras sparks the team from multiple positions on the field.

“I play everywhere on the field, he puts me everywhere he needs me, so definitely adaptability is necessary to play everywhere on the field,” Caras said after SHG’s win versus Hopkins. “So, I look for instructions from my teammates, who are all super supportive.”

Cerami recorded a hat trick, while Rousseau had two goals and Collins, Schwind had one apiece in the winning effort.

“We had a great win at home versus Choate,” Clough, Collins and Rousseau noted. “We’re really happy with how the whole team played. Everyone executed the strategies very well.”

Each game, Sacred Heart, guided by head coach Alhas flourished at controlling possession and the game’s tempo, keeping the opposition on their heels. The Tigers’ strengths have surfaced against every opponent so far this season.

“The strongest parts are defenders, midfielders and forwards,” said Sacred Heart junior defender/midfielder Kinley Diercksen after the Tigers’ triumph against Hopkins. “There’s not really one strong part of our team, all the way from Liv Starr, who is our goalie, all the way to our forwards – everyone has a great bond and we all know how to work the ball around the field, which is really good.”

Up next for Sacred Heart, which advanced to the FAA Tournament final one season ago, is a home game against Loomis Chaffee School on Oct. 14th and a home matchup versus Hotchkiss School on Oct. 17th.

Sacred Heart hosts its main rival, Greenwich Academy on Oct. 21 at 3:45 p.m.

“We’ve been playing so well recently and we’re looking to hopefully, go undefeated and win NEPSACs and FAAs,” SHG junior midfielder Cordelia Blanc noted. “Just being with the girls working to improve every single day is fun.”

“Our goals are to definitely continue to win and enjoy our time together,” Ely said. “Being able to play alongside such amazing seniors and captains is such a privilege, so just taking advantage of that.”