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For three years at Darien High School (CT), Kaci Benoit battled No. 1 recruit Chloe Humphrey daily, constantly tasked with stopping the top-ranked player in the nation.

“Every single day in high school was like a competition,” Benoit said. “Practice there was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

So, in Benoit’s first collegiate game, when SU head coach Kayla Treanor switched to a man-to-man defense following an eight-goal first quarter from then-No. 1 Northwestern, Benoit was prepared for her assignment. Treanor entrusted the defender with guarding Izzy Scane — the defending Tewaaraton award winner. Benoit held her own, limiting Scane to two goals in the final 45 minutes.

Before her first collegiate game, Benoit was already matching up with elite players at Darien. During Benoits three seasons with the Blue Wave, they were one of the best teams in the country. And as a captain in her senior season, Benoit helped lead a team with roughly 26 Division I commits to a 22-0 record and a Connecticut Class L State Championship.

From beginning to end in 2023, Darien was the No. 1 team in the nation, according to USA Lacrosse. Benoit’s time at Darien prepared her to make an instant impact at SU, starting its first six games.

“It almost feels like a mini college team at Darien,” Treanor said. “It’s great to have a player from there that is so well coached that comes in ready to go.”

Prior to high school, Benoit lived in Branford, an hour north of Darien. As an eighth grader, she played varsity lacrosse and field hockey at Hamden Hall Country Day Private School.

In June 2019, Benoit and her father, David, attended the 2019 Connecticut Class L State Championship between Darien and New Canaan. Darien dominated, winning 12-6.

“When we saw Darien play, I was like ‘Wow, that would be something if we could get down there,’” David said. “But it was never a front burner item. It was more like a pipe dream.”

But the “pipe dream” quickly turned into reality. In Benoit’s freshman year, David reached out to Darien head coach Lisa Lindley, inquiring about Benoit playing for the CT Grizzlies, a club team coached by Lindley.

Many Darien players played for the Grizzlies and they practiced at the school. Benoit drove an hour each Sunday to work with the team and earned a roster spot just before Christmas 2019.

Benoit was set to attend Loomis Chaffee, another Connecticut private school, as a sophomore. But the school canceled housing and athletics at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and Benoit never enrolled.

So, David and Benoit’s mother, Karen, moved the family to Darien. The Benoits sold their house in Branford and rented for five months in Darien, hoping to get Benoit enrolled as quickly as possible.

Though she had played with many of Darien’s players and under Lindley with the Grizzlies, she needed to adjust quickly. Lindley moved her from midfield to defense because of her quick feet and stick skills.

“She really bought in because she knew practicing with these kids and being coached by
(Lindley) and her assistants were going to make her a better player,” David said.

By the spring, Benoit earned a starting spot and anchored Darien’s defense as an elite one-on-one defender, helping it to a state championship. The following year, Darien fell short of back-to-back titles, falling 14-13 to New Canaan.

With the feeling of defeat still fresh, Darien’s historic 2023 season began at its 2022 end-of-year banquet. In the final honor awarded at the ceremony, Lindley announced Benoit would wear the No. 85.

The distinction honors Jon Schoen, a former player’s father who died in 2017 and wore the number for the Boston College football team in the 1980s. Each year it’s given to a senior who exemplifies a strong passion and commitment to lacrosse. Among 11 returning seniors, Lindley and her staff chose Benoit.

Darien entered 2023 with a target on its back — ranked as No. 2 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll.

With Darien’s roster filled with D-I recruits, multiple players said Lindley treats the team as a collegiate program, with lifting sessions after practice while breaking down film daily.

“They can’t take a day off,” Lindley said. “They need to focus and bring it and it’s people like the Kaci’s (Benoit) of the world who demand that high-level play.”

On a talent-rich team, no battle stood out more each day than the nation’s top attack against its top defender — Humphrey versus Benoit.

“Some days she would be crushing me and then some days I would have an advantage on her,” said Humphrey, who now plays at North Carolina. “Combining all of those days together really pushed us to be the best offensive and defensive player we could be.”

Ryan Hapgood, who is currently at Dartmouth, said Benoit was her least favorite player to match up against. Fellow defenders Morgan Massey and Maggie Bellissimo said they loved playing alongside Benoit as she helped them better understand defensive schemes and often defended the best player.

In April 2023, the No. 2 Blue Wave traveled to the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, to face off against No. 1 St. Paul’s School for Girls (MD). Benoit and Darien took down St. Paul’s 13-12, claiming the consensus No. 1 spot in the nation before going undefeated.

Kaci Benoit tallied her first collegiate goal in Syracuse’s 15-8 win over Duke. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

Benoit had some attention from colleges before transferring to Darien, but her improvement with the Blue Wave garnered more offers. Syracuse showed interest immediately, setting up a one-on-one visit with the family in September of her junior year.

As the Benoits, Treanor and assistant coaches Kenzie Kent and Caitlin Defliese Watkins walked through the JMA Wireless Dome tunnel onto the field, a hype video narrated by Treanor played on the jumbotron. Treanor’s voice echoed throughout the stadium and Benoit broke into tears. She knew she found her school.

So far in 2024, Benoit has started all six games. From her first matchup with Scane, Benoit has held her own against the best attacks in the nation.

“She’s a tremendous defender, and she’s really good because she’s so versatile,” Treanor said. “She can face guard somebody, she can play in our zone. It’s hard to have her off the field.”

Still, Benoit’s move to Darien often comes to mind when pondering her new destination.

“Moving there was probably the reason why I’m here today,” Benoit said.

Published on March 7, 2024 at 1:25 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky