STICKING WITH IT: Stuart County Day School field hockey player Nyla Flamer looks to send the ball upfield in recent action. Last Friday, junior star Flamer assisted on the lone goal as Stuart edged South Hunterdon 1-0 to improve to 5-3. In upcoming action, the fourth-seeded Tartans will host fifth-seeded Pennington on October 16 in the quarterfinal of the Prep A state tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As a freshman in 2021, Nyla Flamer, then about 80 pounds soaking wet, showed flashes of brilliance for the Stuart County Day School field hockey team as she zipped around opponents.

Working on her game and adding some height and pounds over the last two years, Flamer has grown into a go-to star for Stuart.

Last Friday as the Tartans hosted South Hunterdon, Flamer displayed her development, snaking through the Eagle defense in the third quarter to set up a Gloria Wang goal as Stuart ended up prevailing 1-0.

In reflecting on the play, Flamer was looking to be aggressive in the circle.

“I saw it was a 3v2 and after I eliminated the first defender it was OK, I have two others, so I can shoot now or I can pass,” said Flamer, who leads the Tartans, now 5-3, in scoring with five goals and three assists. “I decided to shoot, unfortunately the goalie was there but I knew my teammate was there so she got the rebound.”

Coming off a 6-0 win over Burlington City on October 3, Stuart realized that it faced a tough test in South Hunterdon.

“We knew that the game today was going to be a tougher game so we needed to work on our communication and our passing skill,” said Flamer. “I think we really capitalized on that today.”

With the teams knotted in a scoreless draw at halftime, the Tartans focused on the basics as they looked to make a breakthrough.

“It was looking up and passing and making sure that we are talking,” and Flamer. “We really want to prep for the state game coming up, so these two wins are really helping us with our positive affirmation for each other.”

With last year’s senior stars, Lily Harlan and Emily Ix, having graduated, Flamer is determined to make a positive impact for the Tartans this fall.

“I am really trying my best to step up as a junior,” said Flamer. “I know that Lily and Emily were really, really good players for our team. We really loved them. Now we are just trying to be one with our team and make sure that we know who the leaders are on our team.”

Over the offseason, Flamer worked hard to make herself a better player.

“I play on the Princeton Field Hockey Club; I have been to a lot of clinics,” said Flamer. “I had summer practice for club — I did a lot of skill work and shooting work.”

As a result of those efforts, Flamer is bringing a different mindset to the field this season.

“I feel like I have made the most improvement in my confidence,” said Flamer. “I think this helped me, I got more comfortable with the ball and having the ball and wanting the ball instead of being afraid of the ball.”

Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik was not surprised to see Flamer to come up big in the circle.

“We have been starting her in the midfield because she is also a great defensive player, she sees the field,” said Bruvik. “At 0-0, I said let’s push her up because we had kids on the forward line that can fill some mid positions as well. Sometimes in the midfield, she doesn’t get that opportunity to get through that last line of defense. She has worked hard in the offseason for sure.”

Bruvik got some great work from sophomore Abby Chirik on the back line against South Hunterdon as she repeatedly thwarted the Eagles.

“Abby was on fire today; she just kept her stick down, she was steady, she was fearless and got rid of the ball,” said Bruvik. “She cleared the ball whether it was on the left or right. She usually plays midfield and we bumped her back to that right back position and she supported the midfield beautifully.”

In the midfield, senior standouts Alex Mandzij and Elise Price played well in the win.

“The two seniors, Alex and Elise, our captains, are just leading the way,” said Bruvik. “They take charge on the field, but also they really inspire the new kids. That has been really nice. Alex played the center mid today instead of center back to give her more freedom to roam and push the ball forward. They played beautifully together in the midfield, when one pushes up, the other is able to play a support role.”

With Stuart having gone 3-2 over the last two weeks, Bruvik believes her squad is heading in the right direction.

“I think we are in a good place because we are able to move some of these kids and they are getting more versatile as the season goes on,” said Bruvik. “We can adjust kids in the back and move kids up. That is nice seeing us move forward. Today was a test to try and do that. I think we were pretty successful getting the ball out of the back. They all played great today — every kid played with great intensity. I just think that the key is to continue to learn the game, not just that one position. It is keep working on your skills and be challenged. We have improved with the games. It has been building confidence.”

Bruvik is hoping that versatility will make a difference as the fourth-seeded Tartans host fifth-seeded Pennington in the quarterfinal round of the Prep A state tournament on October 16.

“We are going to see Pennington in the first round of the Preps so the kids are looking forward to that,” said Bruvik. “We will work hard next week and we will just keep pushing forward.”

Flamer, for her part, is confident that Stuart will keep moving forward.

“We try to capitalize on our positivity and going in we want to win,” said Flamer. “It is also talking on the field and making sure we have strong, hard passes.”