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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Culminating Dream Season in Style; Stuart Field Hockey Wins Prep B Title
By Bill Alden
Sarah Williams got the sense early this fall that the Stuart Country Day School field hockey team was destined to achieve great things this season.
"We clicked in a way that I don't think any team I've played for at Stuart has," said Williams, a senior midfielder who also plays ice hockey and lacrosse for the Tartans.
"It grew as the season went on. You could tell that we were coming out with the intensity to be the best that we could."
Last Sunday, the Tartans produced the final intense effort of their dream season as they topped Morristown-Beard 3-1 in the state Prep B championship game.
The triumph left Stuart with a final record of 17-3 and Williams with a deep sense of satisfaction. "This is my last high school game and we did it," said a beaming Williams, who contributed an assist in the title game. "I feel very fulfilled that we came through and we are the champions. It's a great feeling. I had faith in our team."
Williams acknowledged the Tartans were feeling some nerves after they dominated the first 20 minutes of the game Sunday but found themselves locked in a 0-0 tie with the Crimson. "We had opportunities and we finally came through," recalled Williams. "We were kind of nervous because we had never played them."
Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik wasn't surprised by the battle put up by the Crimson. "I know Mo-Beard, they always play hard," said Bruvik, whose daughter, Kelly, a sophomore attacker, got Stuart on the board with a goal with 8:32 left in the first half and ended up scoring all three goals for the Tartans. "They don't give up and they have good ball strikers. They are aggressive."
Once the Tartans broke through, they gradually used their superior stick skills to wear down Mo-Beard. "I thought that if we could control the ball on attack, that would be key," explained Bruvik, whose club outshot Mo-Beard by a 13-6 margin.
"We worked hard on getting balls through and finishing. We had plenty of opportunities on our short corners. I'm thrilled for our girls, they had an amazing season."
In Bruvik's view, the team's success was due to a rare combination of focus and humility. "Ami Patel and Taylor Blazewski were our captains this year and they never let the team lose its focus," said Bruvik, noting that the team set a program record for most wins in a season, surpassing the previous mark of 15.
"They never let them think about anything but the next game. They never talked about their record, they are very humble. It was never about any kind of bragging rights for anyone. It was everybody on track; it was a team effort."
The team's triumph was particularly sweet considering that the Tartans had fallen in the semis of the state Prep tourney in 2003 and had lost to powerful Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament championship game the last two seasons.
"It feels great that we finished one," said Bruvik with a broad grin. "We get to accomplish that. To do this from August on, it's just a thrill. They are the best part of my day."
Williams certainly enjoyed spending everyday with her teammates this season. "We were close on and off the field," said Williams. "I think that made it better for us on the field. We're close knit and I think that allowed us to bond as a team."
And it allowed the Tartans to put together one of the best seasons in school history.
