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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
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Stuart Field Hockey Stymied by Lawrenceville But Loss in Prep Finale Can't Dim Magic Year
By Bill Alden
Tears streamed down the faces of many members of the Stuart Country Day field hockey team last Sunday as the players absorbed the first and only defeat of a magical fall.
While the 2-1 loss to visiting Lawrenceville in the state Prep final left the players bitterly disappointed, their parents and fans had a different reaction.
Minutes after glumly accepting the second-place trophy, the players' long faces brightened as they were greeted by an extended standing ovation from the throng of supporters who had walked across the field to the bench area.
In the wake of the defeat, Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik, whose daughter, Kelly, was the team's leading scorer, made it clear that her club was deserving of such applause.
"We're going to look at the total season," said a red-eyed Bruvik, whose club finished the season with a 17-1-2 record, the best in program history.
"We're not going to focus just on today. When you think about the entire season, it was an amazing year. It's a great credit to their intensity for 20 games to be able to do that. To win the Mercer County Tournament title outright for the first time ever; I'm pleased with everybody."
Bruvik credited Lawrenceville with showing more intensity off the bat as it built a 2-0 lead by halftime.
"I thought they beat us to the ball in the first half," said Bruvik, whose team had edged the Big Red 3-2 in overtime in the regular season. "They capitalized on their shots. Their second rush in the midfield was really tough."
But Stuart showed plenty of toughness in the second half as it mounted a furious rally with a number of end-to-end rushes down the middle of the field.
Midway through the half, the Tartans broke through as freshman sensation Jaclyn Gaudioso Radvany found the back of the cage to cut the Lawrenceville margin in half. As hard as it tried, Stuart couldn't break through the tough Big Red defense again, falling just short of an undefeated season.
"I think we waited a little too long to turn it up," said Bruvik in assessing an afternoon which saw her team outshoot Lawrenceville 10-9. "We had scoring opportunities in the second half. I thought we did a great job attacking the goal which is what we wanted to do."
Bruvik credited her three senior starters, goalie Christa Goeke, defender Margaret Henry, and midfielder Alice Murnen, with putting Stuart in a position to go undefeated.
"Lawrenceville finished on Christa today but she kept us in more games over the last three years than I can tell you," asserted Bruvik. "Margaret Henry went from playing attack on junior varsity to being our starting center back. Alice missed a year and then came back. She dominated in the midfield as much as anyone in the county."
It didn't take long for Stuart to demonstrate that it was going to be a dominant team this fall. "After we played South Hunterdon and came away from that game winning 7-1, I knew we had something special," said Bruvik, referring to the season opener.
"I think the kids felt the same way we did. We knew we could play with anyone this fall. We might have had a little more speed than in the past. Jaclyn really added to the offense. She's been huge; she came in as an impact player right away."
Gaudioso Radvany ended the season with 32 points on 17 goals and 15 assists, with junior star Bruvik piling up 43 points on 22 goals and 21 assists, and rapidly improving junior Megan Fitzpatrick adding 17 points on eight goals and nine assists.
That trio returns, leaving Bruvik hopeful that Stuart can keep rolling. "The whole offensive line is coming back," said Bruvik, whose 2004 team went 17-3 in winning the Prep B title and finishing second in the MCT. "We had 32 girls out this year and we hope to have the same numbers next year. They bring back big-game experience."
While Bruvik can't be sure whether next year's team can match the achievements of the 2005 squad, she is confident that the program's winning mentality will continue unabated.
"Our motto this year was 'find a way,'" said Bruvik. "We play a demanding schedule and a lot of different schools. It's a building process. They've had a great year."
A year certainly deserving of an lengthy round of applause.
