15th Field Hockey Scrimmage Day Slated To Support Amy Romano Memorial Scholarship Fund

ENFIELD, CT — Players and coaches from some of the finest high school field hockey programs in New England will gather Sunday for the 15th time, to honor the legacy of one of Enfield's most beloved athletes and coaches.

The annual Amy Romano Memorial Field Hockey Scrimmage kicks off Sunday at 10 a.m. on Cookie Bromage Field in Carl Angelica Memorial Stadium at Enfield High School. A dozen schools from four New England states will compete in 20-minute, 7 vs. 7 games on half-size turf fields, and 11 vs. 11 on a regulation-size grass surface.

A brief ceremony just prior to the start of play, including an opening ball drop with members of the Romano family, will pay tribute to the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, who died unexpectedly at age 40 on Jan. 11, 2007.

Romano, who in 1997 joined her dad Tony as the first father-daughter Hall of Fame duo in Enfield, was a standout multi-sport athlete at Enrico Fermi High School. She was an All-State selection in both field hockey and softball, compiling an 18-0 regular season record as a softball pitcher in her senior year.

She continued to play both sports at Assumption College (now University) in Worcester, Mass., earning All-Northeast Region honors three times in field hockey and compiling 40 collegiate wins in softball, including a no-hitter against Winthrop College. She was inducted into the Assumption Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, and is also a member of the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame.

Romano was an elementary educator, serving as head teacher at the former Thomas Alcorn School in Thompsonville. She also coached field hockey at her old high school in the early 2000s, and was a member of the Hall of Fame board of directors.

Following her passing, the Hall of Fame created a scholarship in her memory. Two years later, the first scrimmage day was organized, and with the exception of a near-monsoon in 2011 and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, has become an annual staple signifying the end of the first week of preseason practice.

Four regional powerhouses are returning to the event, including Longmeadow, which remains the only school outside of host Enfield to participate each year since the inaugural gathering in 2009. Their western Massachusetts rival, Minnechaug Regional, will also compete, as will East Greenwich, R.I. and the day's driving distance champion, Keene, N.H.

There will be no shortage of Connecticut squads in the field, representing a mix of established, state-winning programs and younger, up-and-coming teams. The eight entries from the Nutmeg State, which have combined for 25 state championships and 20 runner-up finishes, are Enfield, Avon, Granby Memorial, Haddam-Killingworth, Mercy, Newington, Somers and Suffield.

Team entrance fees and fan donations support the scholarship, awarded to a deserving student-athlete from Enfield High School. There is no admission charge to attend the games, but free will donations will gladly be accepted at the door. All proceeds benefit the scholarship fund.

Concessions will be available throughout the day.