Defending champion Guilford dominates in a 9-1 win over Avon

GUILFORD, November 13 – The Avon High field hockey team was hoping to pull off an upset in the second round of the Class M tournament on Tuesday night.

Top-ranked Guilford was in no mood to accommodate the Falcons. Sophomore Maddie Epke scored five goals and senior teammate Ella Stanley added two goals as No. 1 Guilford (20-0) rolled to a dominating 9-1 victory.

It was the most goals that the Falcons (6-8-2-2) have given up in a CIAC tournament game, breaking the record set two years ago when Guilford blanked Avon, 6-0 in the Class M quarterfinals.

“We knew we were facing a great team,” Avon High coach Terri Ziemnicki said. “We actually playe done of our best games although the score doesn’t reflect that. I told my team from the start that no matter the end result, I wanted them to be the hardest-working team and we did that for a full 60 minutes.”

Kerry Karlin scored for the No. 16-seeded Falcons.

The defending Class M champions looked sharp in their 28th consecutive win.  Guilford has scored eight or more goals in eight of 20 victories. “They have a superb attack and great corners,” Ziemnicki said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they win it all.”