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A former defender for CHS in the mid-1970s, Grace was interim coach in 1985 and took over permanently in 1986. In 20 seasons, she has led Canton to 12 NCCC championships, eight state titles and the No. 1 ranking in the year-end state coaches poll six times.
She toyed with the idea of retiring three years ago, but was inspired to stay when a group of spunky freshmen played with heart and passion in a Class S tournament loss to Morgan School in 2001, losing in four overtimes.
"I have the best memories," Grace said after Canton had topped Avon for the first time since 2002 during alumni weekend earlier this month. "You know when it is time and it's time."
With her will and passion, Grace helped Canton develop into a field hockey powerhouse over the last two decades. While some just saw the coach that yelled at her players during a game or screamed at them in a timeout, she was a coach that insisted that her players play hard and play the game the right way.
"She was by far the best coach I've ever had," said Natasha Pronga, who played Division I field hockey and basketball at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia. "She knows how to motivate you and get you to play. She has a passion for the game.
"She always brought out the best in me and never accepted anything less. She had a way of helping you reach your potential," said Pronga, a two-time All-State selection, who helped Canton win state titles in 1997 and 1998.
Pronga now teaches kindergarten at the William Penn School in Philadelphia. "She said take pride in anything and everything you do and do it to the best of your ability. She would push us hard. Hands down, she was the most intense coach I've ever had."
That work ethic begins in practice.
"We don't fool around in practice," current defender Molly Daniels said. "We have intense, intense practices. We get done what we need to do. We need to focus.
"She is tough. You have to be tough to play for her. But she is preparing you for real life. If you get a boss who is tough on you, will you cry?"
Jennifer Mudano was a two-time All-State selection at Canton. She went on to play at the Division I level at Boston College, where she was named second team All-American in 1993. "Practice was no different than a game," Mudano said. "It was all business. She's an old-school coach. She raised the bar and had total faith in us when you're at an age when you don't have total confidence in yourself."
It served Mudano well when she went to BC. "The intensity going from high school field hockey to BC didn't feel that different," Mudano said. "It was the same demands and expectations we had in high school. They expected the same effort in practice that we had in games."
It is the laughs that Grace will relish. Her teams worked hard but they had fun, too. They also had fun on the field with several memorable contests.
In 1985, Canton lost only two games to Granby and faced the heavily-favored Bears in the Class S championship game but Canton managed to battle Granby to a 0-0 tie in double OT to grab a share of the state title. "We were total underdogs. It was like a shooting clinic on us, but we just kept it out," she said.
In 2002, the Warriors pulled out a miraculous victory over a veteran Wamogo team. A game-tying penalty stroke by Kerri Gagnon with 7:21 left enabled Canton to force OT where they prevailed in a Class S quarterfinal game. Gagnon's shot was stopped by Wamogo goalie Laura DeJulia but it rolled down her stick, along the ground and rolled in. A few days earlier, Canton had ousted North Branford in four overtimes on a Carli Atkinson goal.
In 1998, Canton began the year as the No. 1 team in the state and defending Class S champions. Yet, in the semifinals, they trailed Wamogo 2-0 at halftime. "Let's give it our best try wasn't going to work," Grace said. "I got into the seniors' faces and asked them, 'Do you want to play or go home and cry.' I knew they could do it. Screaming was my last-ditch effort." Canton rallied for a 3-2 win in double OT and won the state title over Avon later in the week.
In 1993, defending Class M champion Enfield leaped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first five minutes over Canton, the two-time defending Class S champion with a 47-game winning streak. But Canton scored two goals in the final four minutes including a shot from Mandy Murphy with 21 seconds left in a game that left both teams exhausted from the effort.
"I try to teach them about having pride in your work and making a commitment," Grace said. "It's not about being a jack of all trades. It is about doing one thing and doing it well."
There may be more memories to be made this year as Canton tries to win its first state title since 1999.
"I've had so many good years and so many good memories," Grace admitted. "It probably won't really hit me until after the last game."
