“We [field hockey team] sat down and discussed our goal to get to the same game as last year”, said Varsity Coach O’Connor

Last season the WTHS girls’ field hockey team made it to the Group IV state championship, where they lost to Eastern, who was the number one team in the country at the time, according to the maxfieldhockey.com.

In order to achieve their goals, O’Connor feels they will need to make corrections and adjustments, especially after losing standout seniors from last season. One standout player they lost was midfielder Shea McGee, who went off to the University of Massachusetts for field hockey.

“She was a dynamic midfielder who could play any position”, said O’Connor

While the team did lose some leadership due to graduation, new captains Juliana Macrini ’15, Katie Hatch ’15, Lauren Sandelier ’15, and Katie Cleary ’15 are motivated by their teammate’s confidence in them, and seek to take charge and lead the team to victory.

“It’s an accomplishment to be leader of the team and to be put in a situation where everyone goes to you”, said Cleary.

The team is in rebuilding mode as they look to repeat last season’s impressive run.  They do have some weaknesses on the defensive side. Most coaches view defensive improvement as the key, seeing which players work well together. In addition, they are dealing with inexperienced goalies, who have not seen any varsity action. In addition second year goalies Emily Horn’`15 and Mackensie Parker ’15 are preparing for the challenge of facing varsity competition for the first time.

“We [the coaching staff] hope that they [fullbacks and goalies] begin to click and feel comfortable playing together”, said Coach O’Connor.

When the defense starts to mesh, the field hockey team will see improved results. However, what the team lacks in defense, they make up for with speed and offense. O’Connor is very pleased with how fast her players get to the ball, in addition to the experienced players who distribute the ball well.

While physical attributes are an important element to team success, the WTHS squad will have to rely heavily on team work and cooperation in order to be the quality that will get them to the next level. These girls play for their team, not for themselves.

“You can’t do anything on your own”, said Macrini. “Whatever I do, I’m doing for my team, and they’re doing the same for me.”

The team does face some tough competition this season, like Eastern, who is number one in the nation again, and beat them in the Group IV championship. The girls will continue to strive for success.

“We have a tradition of excellence, that’s what we live up to,” said Macrini.

The Minutemaids will look to continue this tradition by just worrying about one game at a time. If all goes as planned for the team, WTHS could see a rematch of last season’s championship.