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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Field Hockey Catches Fire; Late Surge Ends With Title Loss
By Bill Alden
Coming into the state Prep A field hockey tournament, the Hun School squad didn't have the look of a title contender.
The Raiders entered the tourney with a 4-9-1 record and were chosen as the sixth seed in the eight-team field.
Hun, though, saved its best hockey for last as it topped No. 3 seed Peddie 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinal round on goals by Tyler Willey and Katie Kirnan.
Showing that triumph wasn't a fluke, the Raiders stunned second-seeded Blair 2-0 last Wednesday in the semis, paced by goals from Nicole Flotterton and Lyndsey Natale.
Last Sunday, Hun faced its final and hardest challenge when it played at top-seeded Lawrenceville in the Prep A title game. Unable to slow the powerful Big Red, Hun's improbable tourney run came to a halt as it fell 5-0 to Lawrenceville.
After consoling her squad in the aftermath of the championship defeat, Hun head coach Sarah Ostermueller was able to put the season in perspective.
"A couple of weeks ago, I don't think anybody would've thought that Hun field hockey would be in this game," said Ostermueller, whose club finished the fall with a 7-10-1 record after going 2-11-3 in 2003.
"Sure, I would have liked to have won today but these guys came back from a really tough start to the season. They showed a lot of heart and skill. They had a great end to the season, I couldn't be prouder of them."
In Ostermueller's view, the team's memorable stretch drive stemmed from technical and mental improvements. "I think everybody clicked position-wise," explained Ostermueller, who credited goalie Erin Mills, in particular, with clicking as the season went on.
"We got everybody in the right place. The most important thing was that they finally believed they could win. They got their heads in the right place."
Hun's seniors played a key role in pointing the team in the right direction. "The seniors decided that they didn't want to go out the way they went out last season," said Ostermueller, noting that the team was eliminated at the quarterfinal stage in the 2003 Prep A tourney. "They just changed their fate."
For senior co-captain Molly McQuade, the late surge was the product of a collective effort. "Miss O kept saying that someone has to light a fire," said McQuade, who finished her final season with four goals and three assists. "It didn't end up being one person, we all decided that this wasn't how we wanted to end our season. We all came back and fought really hard."
That fighting spirit ended up not being enough to carry Hun past Lawrenceville which improved to 12-3-3 with its win in the title game.
"I knew we would see Lawrenceville in the finals if we got here," asserted McQuade. "We just wanted this so bad today but Lawrenceville is a really good team. We thought we could get it but things just didn't go our way."
Both Ostermueller and McQuade believe that this year's late run will plant the seed for things to go Hun's way in the future. "It makes me really look forward to next season," declared Ostermueller, who will be welcoming back such key performers as Kirnan, Natale, Willey, and Mary Stinson.
"I know we made it this far this season and we want to keep that momentum. We had down momentum from last year and we had to fight our way against that this season."
McQuade is confident that she and her classmates have left the program with a special legacy. "Our team next year has a great shot from the beginning," said McQuade, who also stars for the Hun girls' lacrosse team.
"Hopefully they'll see
how far we came and they'll know they don't have to turn things
around from the beginning. It's a season I'll definitely remember."
