The Fantastic Fall: A Fall to Remember for Sacred Heart Greenwich Athletics

When the fall season began just a few short months ago, everything was in front of Director of Athletics Laurie Rousseau, the fall varsity coaches, and student-athletes. Rousseau had the following thoughts on the season.

“This fall season exceeded my expectations on so many levels -  Our student-athletes demonstrated a strong commitment to their teams and being great teammates, they overcame different forms of adversity and competed so hard, all while doing so with a positive outlook and often a smile on their faces. The leadership of the senior class and our captains was instrumental in our success this fall. This is an incredibly special group of student-athletes that led our teams to many firsts, including three FAA regular Season titles and three NEPSAC tournament bids.”

As the calendar has turned and we approach Thanksgiving break, the fall season is now behind us, and what an incredible season it was. With cross country, field hockey, rowing, soccer, and volleyball taking center stage, not only was the fall season incredible, it was historic. 

For the first time in school history, Sacred Heart Greenwich brought home three regular season Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) championships, as field hockey, soccer, and volleyball all finished atop the standings. All three teams received the No. 1 seed in the FAA Tournament and advanced to the championship game, which made for a monumental championship Friday with Sacred Heart Greenwich hosting all three games. While field hockey and volleyball fell just short, the soccer team won the FAA Tournament championship in thrilling fashion, in penalty kicks over GFA.

The cross-country team also competed in the FAA Championship race where they finished fourth, following a third-place finish in the regular season. Charley B. finished third in the varsity race, while Emilia O. finished fourth in the JV race for Sacred Heart Greenwich.

The rowing team also had a strong fall, including some great finishes at the Head of the Riverfront and Head of the Charles.

Cross country went on to participate in the NEPSAC Championship race, while the field hockey, soccer, and volleyball teams were all selected to participate in their respective New England Tournaments as field hockey earned the No. 3 seed, soccer the No. 7 seed, and volleyball the No. 2 seed. Here is a look at how each team fared.

Cross Country

On Saturday, November 11, the team took the long trip to Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts, where they competed in the NEPSAC Division II Championship race. The team finished 10th in the competition, as they were led by Charley B. ‘25  and Maggie F ‘25. who both recorded top-30 finishes at 9th and 30th, respectively, in a race consisting of 177 participants. Head Coach Michelle McCrae was very happy with the season and shared,“Overall our team had a great season! They truly embodied honor, heart, and hustle in both practices and in each cross-country meet!”

Field Hockey

The field hockey team hosted No. 6 seed Westminster School on Wednesday in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals at 2:15 pm in front of the home crowd and ultimately saw their season end, falling to a strong Westminster team 2-0. While they couldn’t get the offense going on Wednesday, it was the end to another remarkable season for this team and program, as they continue to be one of New England’s best.

Coach Gheorghe shared, “There were great performances all season, and we couldn’t be happier with the team. We truly enjoyed it and achieved our goals for the season. This could not be possible without the dedication, commitment and overall passion of the entire team”.

Rowing

The rowing team had record finishes as a team at Head of the Riverfront, finishing 5th out of 28 teams in the 1V, 7th out of 19 in the 2V, and 4th out of 15 in the Novice 8. They also had a great finish at Head of the Charles for Varsity 4+, requalifying for next year's race. 

Head Coach Costel Mutescu was impressed with the growth and work ethic of the team and shared, “Overall as a team, we all had personal records on the erg, and became closer each practice as a group! Excellent grit and resilience throughout the season. A team does not happen. A team is developed and built. They have all embarked on the journey.”

Soccer

Following a tremendous season, an undefeated FAA season, and FAA regular season and tournament championships, the soccer team took the short trip to Farmington, CT to take on the No. 2 seed Miss Porter’s School on Wednesday in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals. Miss Porter’s proved to be a very formidable opponent and beat Sacred Heart Greenwich 4-0. 

This team held their heads high as they wrapped up a historic season for the program, finishing 17-2-1, the team’s first NEPSAC Tournament selection, and winning both FAA regular and tournament championships. Head Coach Stuart Smith was very happy with the team’s season.

“The FAA soccer league is extremely competitive so to think that the team achieved a perfect 13-0 record in FAA play is still quite difficult to believe. The team had to face several set-backs and challenges during the season but always found the strength and togetherness to overcome every hurdle. The coaches could not be more proud of this group of players and all that they have accomplished together for Sacred Heart Soccer this season.”

Volleyball

The volleyball team welcomed a familiar opponent to their home court on Wednesday, as they took on No. 7 seed Greenwich Academy in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals. In front of a spirited home crowd, they defeated Greenwich Academy in a five-set thriller, and moved on to the NEPSAC semifinals where they hosted the No. 3 seed Phillips Exeter Academy on Saturday.

Sacred Heart Greenwich jumped out early and never looked back, cruising to a 3-0 semifinal win, which landed them in Sunday’s New England championship game against the top seed Loomis Chaffee, in a game that took place on a neutral court at Milton Academy. The first set and second set were a back-and-forth affair with Loomis ultimately coming out on top. Sacred Heart Greenwich battled hard, and came away winning one set, while falling 3-1 to a strong Loomis team, and finishing the season with an overall record of 22-4.

While the loss was a tough one, it was a magnificent season, as they finished with a regular season FAA championship, No. 2 seed in NEPSAC Class A, and a second place finish in New England. Coach Wilson-Jordan shared, “I couldn’t be more proud of this very special team and our history making season’s accomplishments. Each individual shared their gifts to make the team stronger. All played volleyball with joy, passion, grit and resilience. They always represented Sacred Heart with a team first attitude and honor, heart and hustle. I will miss this team and their parents more than any trophy.”

What’s Next?

The fall season was certainly one for the record books for the Sacred Heart Greenwich athletic program. The winter teams have already started practicing and will begin games following the Thanksgiving break, so please check the website for the most updated schedule information, as the coaches and student-athletes are working hard to prepare for the season.