(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: FIELD DAY: Stuart Country Day sophomore standout Caroline Passano runs past a foe in action last spring. Passano helped Stuart christen its new field turf facility in style on April 3 as she scored three second half goals to help Stuart break open a 6-6 game on the way to a 15-7 win over Pennington. The Tartans will look to keep on the winning track when they play at Hun on April 12 and Princeton Day School on April 14 before hosting WW/P-N on April 16.

Sophomore Star Passano Has Field Day as Stuart Lax Beats Pennington 15-7

Bill Alden

It was a day that the Stuart Country Day lacrosse program had been looking forward to for a while and everything was going well in the beginning.

Christening its gleaming new turf field last week for its season opener against Pennington, the sun was shining brightly and the players were inspired by a pre-game ceremony which included a prayer blessing the Long Family Field.

Stuart kept the faith as it jumped out to a 5-1 lead over the Red Raiders. But then the day took a dark turn as Stuart senior star Kelly Bruvik leaped high in the air to score the Tartans' sixth goal but didn't get up as she crumpled to the ground in pain.

As Bruvik lay prone on the bench with an ice pack on her throbbing right knee, the Tartans faltered as Pennington reeled off five straight goals to knot the game at 6-6 by halftime.

Sophomore attacker Caroline Passano acknowledged that the sight of Bruvik on the bench in pain knocked Stuart out of its rhythm. "To see her fall was just tough," said Passano. "Kelly is such a good team player and vital to the team as a whole. Right after she fell, we didn't really connect that although she's gone we still have to play 100 percent."

Passano certainly gave 100 percent in the second half as she fired in three goals to help spark Stuart as it got back in sync and pulled away to a 15-7 win.

In assessing her late outburst, Passano said it was a product of good team play. "Everyone started to connect," said Passano. "The transition started to work really well. People started to make really good passes and we didn't crowd the inside. They got frustrated and we were starting to cool down."

Passano has a cooler head on the field with one year of varsity play under her belt. "I'm a lot more confident this year," asserted Passano. "Being a freshman, it's nerve-wracking coming into a varsity sport. I've developed a lot over the year; I'm excited for the season."

Stuart head coach Sara Wagner was excited to see Passano rise to the occasion. "Caroline is really determined," said Wagner. "She's in great shape and she likes to run. She likes to have the ball and she wanted the ball today."

Wagner acknowledged that she needed to give her team a little pep talk at the half to get it back on the ball. "At the half, we just decided that this was our first game on the new field and that we needed to win this game as a team," recalled Wagner, whose team plays at Hun on April 12 and Princeton Day School on April 14 before hosting WW/P-N on April 16.

"Everybody needed to do what they had to do so we could win the game whether by one goal, two goals, or whatever. I asked the seniors to show leadership and everybody took it to heart."

Stuart got some outstanding play from two seniors, in particular, as Eleanor Hayes-Larson spearheaded the defense and Jen Larsen broke through with four goals.

"Eleanor has been a leader all along; she was really talking today and getting them to stay back a little more," said Wagner, who also got four goals from Bruvik and three from sophomore star Elizabeth Bucklee.

"Jen didn't get a lot of playing time last year. We told her to create some space and lose her defender. She subbed in and Pennington was up high and she made a break down low and scored; it was her first goal. After she scored that first one, it was like she had all the confidence in the world. Sometimes that's all it takes."

Passano, for her part, believes the team's effort in the second half shows that it can be formidable even when Bruvik isn't on the field.

"I feel in the second half we saw what we can do and we saw where we can grow," added Passano. "We need Kelly, she is such a key player. But we know that we can play strong and we saw that today."

Return to Previous Sports Story | Return to Top | Go to Calendar