Quick Strikes Spark Guardians on Senior Night

The seven senior players from the Glastonbury High School’s girls soccer team were victorious on Senior Night. Pictured: top (l-r) Sam Cole, Caleigh Sullivan, Emily Smith; bottom, Hailey Moriarty, Angela Chavez, Jenna Fradin, and Chloe Griffin are leading a team that has qualified for the state tournament starting next month.    

Things looked bleak last Tuesday night for the girls soccer team at Glastonbury High School. 

Playing on Senior Night, the Guardians trailed visiting Avon 2-1 with time ticking away in the second half before senior Emily Smith provided the spark the team needed.

With ten minutes to play in regulation, Smith received a perfect lead pass from Brynn Barbieri and fired a blast into the left side of the net to even the match.

“I needed to place it well; I needed to finish it for the team,” recalled Smith, who got behind the Avon defense and was one-on-one with the keeper. “I just needed to calm down and put it to the corner.”

Head coach Mark Landers said that Smith “stepped up” when the team needed her, adding, “She came through for us tonight.”

Less than two minutes after Smith’s equalizer, the Guardians scored the go-ahead goal when junior Maddy Handrahan headed in a free kick from Corey Anderson in the 72nd minute.

Anderson pooched the ball over a crowd of players, which Handrahan skipped off her head into the net before being mobbed by teammates in celebration. 

The Guardians defense held strong the final eight minutes to preserve the team’s seventh win on the season.  

After being held to a single goal for nearly 70 minutes, Glastonbury’s two goals in a matter of  89 seconds proved to be the difference on a night in which the Guardians celebrated seven senior players.

Smith, Hailey Moriarty, Chloe Griffin, Jenna Fradin, Caleigh Sullivan, Samantha Cole, and Angela Chavez were all recognized prior to the game before all seven started the game on the field. 

Early on, the Guardians had a few point blank shots go awry and Avon grabbed a 1-0 lead when Kate Loparco dropped in a kick over the top of Faith-Anne Grunwald exactly eight minutes into the match. 

At the 7:53 mark in the first half, Anderson tied things up when she hammered home a shot after getting an assist from Rebecca Donovan.

Avon’s Emma Loparco broke the tie by booting a lefty kick into the right hand corner of the net, providing the visiting Falcons a 2-1 lead midway through the second half. 

Landers noted that he was impressed with how his team responded to the adversity, crediting his players for carrying out what the coaching staff has been preaching into practice.

A few weeks prior, the Guardians lost in similar fashion to Berlin and flipped the script in the win over Avon.    

“We talk about the importance of set pieces all the time and to get a header on a set piece for the game-winning goal says a lot about what we are trying to do,” stated Landers.” You need to have in-game examples of what you practice to make the kids understand how important those situations are.” 

Landers was also pleased with his offense, which hadn’t scored more than two goals in six games, dating back to a 3-0 win over Wethersfield on Sept. 23. 

With only one goal at the half, Smith said her and her fellow seniors talked about capitalizing on their opportunities. 

“We needed to connect on our passes and calm down because we were a little frazzled,” recalled Smith, who added the team was extra hyped up with it being Senior Night. “We need to communicate more and play our game.”

Landers added that the Senior Night triumph was important on many levels, as Avon — a Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) rival — entered GHS with a record of 9-2 and was riding a four game winning streak.

It was also another solid performance form the Guardians defense, which has carried the team through most of the season, allowing more than two goals only once and holding seven opponents scoreless behind a strong back end headed by Grunwald. 

Despite losing three one-goal games over the last month, Landers said the team has continued to grind.   

“We haven’t lost our belief in each other and that important,” added Landers. “We haven’t lost that belief in how we play. We are playing good soccer and we’re moving the ball well, we just have to continue to stay true to who we are.”

Two days following the victory over Avon, the team tied Southington 1-1 thanks to a spectacular goal from Anderson. Entering the week, the Guardians have posted a record of 7-5-2.  

They closes out the regular season today (Thursday, Oct. 26) welcoming Simsbury to GHS for a match at 3:45. The Guardians will be seeking to avenge a 2-0 loss at Simsbury from Sept. 20. 

With the Class LL tournament starting in early November, Landers said each test going forward is important and credited his seniors for steering the ship.  

​“All seven of them have been nothing but exceptional in their character,” Landers said of the Class of 2024 players. “The seniors always make sure the other [players] understand their value and make them part of the group. It might not come from the tactical or technical parts of the game, but more like aspects of having a good locker room and having people feel good about being together.”