Submitted by Amanda Baldwin
(October 8, 2024) — The Haddam Killingworth High School Field Hockey team continued to play tough this past week facing off against Westbrook, Stafford, Canton, and North Branford. The girls are really starting to find their groove and work well together, completing more passes and spacing throughout the field. This was very clear in their match against Canton, where Ava Ramino scored with 17.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and held Canton to a tie in the 10-minute OT sudden death round.
Stafford- HKFH traveled to Stafford on October 5, 2024 for a morning game against the Bulldogs. Lily Austin, Ava Ramino, Sidey Wrinn and Della Krete-Cacase all saw the goal this game, with assists from Della Krete-Cacase, Chloe Engler, Sydney Wrinn and Lily Austin in the 4-0 win. The girls played with energy in the second half, scoring three out of the four goals in the second half. All seventeen players saw playing time for this game and it really helped remind us of our abilities and strengths while dialing in on what we needed to work on.
Canton- HKFH had one of the best games they have had all season versus Canton, demonstrating great communication, spacing, and passing throughout the match. The defensive line, led by Maddy Catalano, shut down Canton’s invasion of HK’s defensive circle, allowing the defensive line to push the ball up to the Cougars mid-field and forward lines. Down by 1 for all but the last 17.2 seconds of the game, HK responded with Ava Ramino finding the boards and hitting a beautiful shot in the left corner to tie the game at 1-1. The girls left everything they had out on the field in a 10-mintue Sudden Death OT, where they had some opportunities to score, but were blocked by Canton’s goalie.
North Branford-HKFH played North Branford away fighting hard to maintain possession. North Branford scored the first goal in the first quarter after it was initially saved by GK Ali Dooley. The entire team worked hard to bring the ball up in transition and were able to get shots on goal, but unfortunately were unable to converge. The girls’ energy started to switch when they were able to put more pressure on North Branford and shut down passing lanes during free hits. This helped to give HK more opportunities to get corners and score, which the team was unable to do. The Cougars learned a lot about where they are as a team after games like these. They have grown a huge amount from their first contest with them even though the score may not show that. We worked harder, communicated better, and were keeping our energy more than we have in previous games, which is essential in being competitive at this level.
Haddam Killingworth 4-Stafford 0
(at Stafford High School)
Goals: Lily Austin (#3), Ava Ramino (#5), Sidney Wrinn (#5), Della Krete-Cacase (#4)
Assists: Della Krete-Cacase (#3), Chloe Engler
HKHS 1- Canton 1 (OT)
(at Haddam Killingworth High School)
Goals: Bridget Sonja (Canton, Q1); Ava Ramino (#6, Q4)
Assists: Paige Sidney (Canton), Della Krete-Cacase (#4)
North Branford 3-HKHS 0
(at North Branford High School)