After winning the coveted CIAC Class LL Soccer Tournament championship in 2025, Greenwich High School’s varsity girls soccer team produced another sensational season despite falling short of reaching its ultimate goal of repeating as state champions.

The Cardinals registered a highly impressive record of 15-3-1, advanced to the FCIAC Tournament semifinals, then reached the quarterfinal-round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament, which is where their season ended in heartbreaking fashion. Seeded fourth, the host Cardinals were edged by fifth-seeded Notre Dame Prep, 2-1, in double overtime in the Class LL quarterfinals on Nov. 13th, a loss that of course, ended the defending state champions season.

Following a first-round bye, Greenwich was victorious against No. 13 Farmington, 3-0, in the Round of 16 (second round) on Nov. 10th at Cardinal Stadium, displaying the skill and teamwork that once again, made it one of the premier teams in the state this fall. Senior forward/midfielder Kenna Harlow, one of the Cardinals’ captains, recorded two goals to help lead GHS past Farmington and into the quarterfinals.

“Kenna, that was one of the best games I’ve seen her play,” Greenwich coach Simon Rumbold said following the Cardinals’ 3-0 home triumph over Farmington in the second round of the state tourney. “We’ve been really lucky this season, the captains have been stepping up in those moments.”

Harlow gave Greenwich a 1-0 lead on Farmington, scoring off a shot from approximately 30 yards out, as the ball off her low shot, slipped away from the grip of Farmington’s goalie with 10:22 remaining in the first half. Sophomore Sophia Gega, who made her presence felt throughout the field, assisted on the Cards’ opening goal.

Harlow’s goal occurred after the Cardinals pushed up and created plenty of pressure visiting Farmington. Junior Cameron Dionis and sophomore Siena Ettinger each posted shots on goal near the midway point of the first half, while Gega took a corner kick and Harlow tested Farmington’s netminder.

“They were sitting back, so we knew we had to make a lot of movement in behind,” Harlow said of the Cardinals’ strategy. “We were creating chances and we weren’t putting them away and then finally, we just got to and I luckily finished them.”

In the 39th minute of the Class LL Round of 16 game, Harlow struck again, putting GHS on top of Farmington, 2-0. This time she converted a shot from about 25 yards away, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead. Ettinger assisted on Harlow’s second tally.

“I saw a lot of space and I was trying to draw the defender like we practice in practice and Kenna was right there,” Ettinger said. “We played great, we really played to the occasion. We’ve been working really hard in practice.”

In the 67th minute, senior captain/defender Shay Sippel tallied, giving Greenwich a commanding 3-0 advantage over Farmington, which beat Southington, 2-0, in the first round. Gega booted her corner kick into the box and Sippel rose up for a header and scored, showing great timing on the play.

“Gega just put in a really good ball in the corner and I was there and just had to nudge it in,” Sippel said of her goal, before describing what it was like facing an unfamiliar foe in the form of Farmington. “They’re a really good team and they’ve been successful throughout the season, so we knew it was going to be a little bit of a tough test today. But I think we did a really good job, especially the first half, of getting on the ball and doing what we do best to break their lines.”

Indeed, patience was one of the keys for Cards in their state second-round victory.

“We had the ball in their half and we knew eventually, if we kept on pushing and kept up the intensity – we knew if we kept shooting eventually, some of them were going to go in,” said Harlow, who finished the season as one of Greenwich’s leading goal scorers this fall.

Greenwich gave its opponents trouble all season with its precise ball movement, with each line connecting their passes well throughout the season.

“I feel like we were all one unit,” Gega noted. “We’ve been practicing on our offensive switch arounds in the middle, because we play with four, so we were able to overlap and switch around to get on the ball. A lot of teams have been sitting lower, so we’re trying to get everyone on the ball in the midfield to get forward.”

“I’m proud that we finished our shots,” Gega continued. “I feel like we haven’t been scoring as much and so we got our shots in early, so we were able to secure the game earlier on.”

Said Rumbold: “We were on top, they sat deep and we just had to keep getting those opportunities. We were able to shoot lower and follow shots in.”

For the season, Greenwich allowed only 15 goals in 19 games, while scoring 65 goals. Senior captain Ashley Morris and Sippel were among some of the athletes that helped lead Greenwich’s defensive charge all season. Sophomore goalie Taylor Tierney was clutch in goal all season for GHS, posting numerous shutouts, while making key saves.

“I was really happy with our progression of the season from the beginning of the season to the end,” Morris said. “I feel like we really emphasized all the principals we’ve been working on and I’m proud of how we executed our movement up in the midfield.”