Another game in the storied varsity field hockey rivalry between Greenwich Academy and Sacred Heart Greenwich took place when the longtime FAA neighborhood foes faced each other on Oct. 21st and this time, it was the Tigers that authored a winning chapter.

Undefeated entering its much-anticipated regular season home game against Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart Greenwich kept its perfect record intact, scoring two goals in each half in a matchup that as always featured great intensity, competitive spirit, energy and excitement.

Junior midfielder Kingsley Ely scored two goals, while Cordelia Blanc, also a junior midfielder, had one goal and one assist for host Sacred Heart in its well-earned 4-1 win over Greenwich Academy at Magnetti Field. Following a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers tallied twice in the second quarter to enter halftime with a 2-0 lead.

“It’s always a huge game against GA and we look forward to it all year,” SHG senior goalie Liv Starr said following the Tigers’ triumph. “We’ve been preparing for it a bunch this week and I think what we did really well this time was try to not get into our heads. It’s obviously, a super exciting atmosphere, but just treat it as any other game.”

The victory improved Sacred Heart’s overall record to 12-0 and 5-0 in the FAA. The Tigers hosted Wilton today (Oct. 24th) on Senior Day.

“I’m really proud of us, coming off of last year we really wanted it,” said Sacred Heart senior captain Caeley Clough, who helped lead the Tigers’ defensive effort. “I think everyone has just improved so much during the course of the season and has worked so hard. So, I’m just really proud of everyone in how we connected and played for each other.”

GA, which was victorious against SHG in the championship game of the 2025 FAA Tournament and the semifinal round of last season’s NEPSAC Class A Tournament semifinals, sports a record of 4-2 in the FAA after this loss to the Tigers.

“I think the first five, ten minutes it’s a lot of nerves,” Greenwich Academy coach Jamie Brower said, pointing to the fact that her varsity squad graduated a significant number of players from last season’s team. “We were just saying how we have a very young starting lineup, meaning most of them have never played in a Sacred Heart-GA varsity field hockey game. There were a lot of nerves to work through, but I think they did a good job of working through it.”

Sophomore Barrett Hanson scored a goal for GA, which received especially outstanding play from senior goalie Niamah Cooney, who made 18 saves, while facing plenty of pressure from the Tigers throughout the game.

“Niamah stepped up and every save she made she was more confident,” Brower noted. She made 18 saves, she played out of her mind.”

The Tigers registered an impressive 28 shots and 15 penalty corners, forcing the Gators to play plenty of defense. As always, the atmosphere was ultra-competitive.

“It’s always a good game between GA and Sacred Heart,” Ely said. “We both come with really high spirits and we both really want to win no matter what. So, it’s always a good game and it’s important to not let the crowd get to you and play as a team.”

Senior forward Whitney Rousseau gave Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead when she scored off an assist from junior midfielder Lauren Clark with 4:39 remaining in the second quarter. On a penalty corner as time expired, SHG went into halftime with a 2-0 advantage courtesy of junior midfielder Cordelia Blanc’s goal off the corner.

“Playing against Greenwich Academy is always a competitive game,” SHG coach Alex Gheorghe said. “We knew it was going to be hard, we knew it was going to be hard to score goals against them. But we are pretty happy with the win, we’re happy with the outcome.”

Blanc spent the previous three seasons as a member of Greenwich Academy’s varsity field hockey team before transferring to Sacred Heart this year.

“Me and everyone else, we always play with these girls during club and it’s always such a good game, everyone is such a good player. It’s so challenging, it’s so great.”

Rousseau, Ely, Blanc, eighth grader Katherine Cerami, junior Joanna Eken and a host of other athletes enabled the Tigers to maintain possession and create scoring opportunities in this FAA rivalry game.

“It starts with the defense, our defense was able get it up the sides to our mids and everyone was getting good interceptions,” Blanc noted. “That’s what was getting us our good shots. I think both teams played really well, everyone was pushing out there and it was amazing to see everyone connecting.”

At the 12:47 mark of the third quarter, Sacred Heart extended its lead. Controlling the ball off a pass from Clark, Ely broke free and tallied in transition, making it 3-0 in favor of the Tigers.

The score remained 3-0, until the Gators lit the scoreboard with 3:53 to go in the third quarter. Positioned at the doorstep of the cage, Barrett Hanson knocked the ball home with GA on a penalty corner, cutting Sacred Heart’s lead to 3-1. Gators teammates Vianna Gabelli, a junior and Maria Vintiadis, a sophomore, were also on the scene during Hanson’s goal off the penalty corner attempt.

Hanson’s goal marked the first goal Sacred Heart has allowed the entire season. SHG has outscored its opponents an eye-opening 76-1 so far this season.

“Not having anyone score against us adds a lot of pressure on the goalie and defenders,” Gheorghe said. “But they scored and we congratulate Greenwich Academy for playing hard against us and I think it was good, quality game.”

With 4:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ely sealed the game’s scoring, lifting a high shot into the cage after receiving a pass from Eken, putting the Tigers on top, 4-1.

“It definitely came from the whole team,” Ely said of her second goal. “It started with Caeley in the back and then it went to Joanna and then Joanna was able to send a good ball from the baseline and I was just able to finish it.”

“But as a team, it was definitely a big goal and it contributed to our momentum to be able to end up winning,” Ely continued. “We were playing possession, keeping it simple and looking for the through balls and getting back on defense.”

For the game, Greenwich Academy generated four penalty corners and six shots on goal. Cooney, senior captain Melanie Saunders, sophomore Annie Hanson, sophomore Pippa Heyworth helped anchor the Gators’ defensive play, while junior Penny Perkins was a presence throughout the field.

“Obviously, they’re such a talented team, they have so much depth,” Cooney said of Sacred Heart. “But I think our defense did so amazing. They saved me a lot of things that I missed, but I think just our intensity and wanting to meet them where they’re at.”

Said Perkins: “In the second half we had confidence that together as a team we could do this. I’m really proud of all our hard work in the second half and I’m very proud of Sacred Heart, they played an amazing game.”

Should Sacred Heart and Greenwich Academy meet again it will once again, be in the FAA Tournament – most likely the finals or semifinals. The Tigers will most likely earn the No. 1 seed in the FAA tourney.

“I’m so excited to play them again,” Perkins said. “It’s always such an amazing rivalry. It’s great to see some friends on the other team and I’ll be looking forward to next time. 

As has been the case all season, Sacred Heart’s level of play was consistent throughout this significant, late season regular season matchup.

“Definitely just staying composed was the key,” said Clough, who captains the Tigers, along with senior Xan Collins. “They’re a really good team, so it’s anyone’s game, so we just had to stay focused and keep playing offensively and trying to score.”

Coach Brower spoke of her team’s defensive effort against Sacred Heart’s relentless offense.

“I thought our defense played great,” Brower noted. “We have a very young defense. Sacred Heart did a really great job of putting pressure on us, getting the ball out, so that’s something we need to work on but I thought they handled themselves with poise and confidence given all the factors going into it. I thought they did really well.”

SHG visits FAA opponent Greens Farms Academy on Oct. 26th, then hosts Cushing Academy on Oct. 28th.

“It’s been such a fun season, this is my second year here and I love it so much,” Starr said. “The team culture is amazing and I think it shows when we’re on the field as well, just how close we are and how much we all care for each other.”

Greenwich Academy hosts Loomis Chaffee School on Oct. 28th, then visits Westminster School on Oct. 31st.

Sacred Heart and Greenwich Academy have faced each other on the field hockey field a lot over the years. Here is a look at the recent results involving the Gators and Tigers, dating back to the 2017 season.

2017: The teams went 1-1 against each other, with GA winning the regular season game and SHG taking the FAA Tournament title matchup.

2018: Sacred Heart went 2-0 vs. GA.

2019: The squads split their two games, with Sacred Heart winning in the regular season and GA winning in the FAA Tournament title game.

2021: SHG was 2-0 against Greenwich Academy.

2022: The Tigers and Gators met four times, going 2-2 against each other. Sacred Heart went 2-0 in the regular season and GA won in the FAA final and in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament.

2023: Sacred Heart won the regular season game and GA defeated SHG in the FAA final.

2024: SHG went 2-1 vs. GA, winning in the regular season and FAA Tournament final and GA was victorious in the NEPSAC quarterfinals.

2025: Greenwich Academy went 3-0 versus Sacred Heart Greenwich, winning both the FAA regular season and tournament titles, then edged SHG in the NEPSAC Tournament semifinals.

Here are more scenes from the GA-SHG 2026 regular season matchup.