(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) FRONT AND CENTER: Stuart Country Day field hockey star Caroline Passano goes after the ball in a preseason scrimmage. Passano, who played mainly on the junior varsity team last season, has emerged as an offensive force for the Tartans. Passano has piled up eight goals and eight assists this fall to help the Tartans start 9-1-2.

With Passano Emerging as Offensive Force, Stuart Field Hockey Pounding the Opposition

Bill Alden

Last fall, Caroline Passano was on the outside looking in for the Stuart Country Day field hockey team.

Passano spent most of 2006 on the junior varsity as the Tartans rolled to an 18-1-1 record and won the varsity program’s second straight Mercer County Tournament crown.

This past spring, Passano emerged as a top gun for the Stuart lacrosse team, helping the Tartans to a third straight state Prep B title.

Building on the confidence she gained from the lacrosse title run, Passano has put herself front and center this fall for the Tartans’ field hockey team, scoring eight goals and getting eight assists in the team’s first 12 games.

“It’s been really fun this year, I just came out and put my heart into it,” said Passano, a junior, in reflecting on her progress.

“I played like I would in lacrosse. I’ve learned a lot and I hope I can keep going from here.”

Last Thursday, Passano gave a glimpse of how much she has learned, tallying two second half goals as the Tartans pulled away to a 5-1 win over cross-town rival Hun. “I was glad to get them in,” said Passano referring to her two goals which helped Stuart improve to 9-1-2 on the season. “It was a boost to our confidence to get ahead so we could work on different things. We all work really well together.”

Passano readily admits that her work together up front with Stuart junior star Jackie Gaudioso-Radvany has been a big key to her improvement. “We’re good friends in school and we just carry that to field hockey,” added Passano of Gaudioso-Radvany, who has piled up 15 goals and five assists on the season.

“We know each other and we know where we will be on the field. I can always count on her to be there; she is a phenomenal player. We both know that whichever way we go, someone will get there. We try to work as hard as we can on and off the field.”

Stuart’s collective work ethic picked up during a two-game sequence earlier in the season when they lost to WW/P-N and then rebounded to beat archrival Lawrenceville.

“After the North game, we just worked harder and harder,” said Passano. “It was really nice to beat Lawrenceville; we both played really hard. We were just ecstatic after that win.”

Stuart head coach Katie Grant sees the Lawrenceville game as a turning point for her squad. “The Lawrenceville game was good, especially after the loss to WW-P/N,” said Grant.

“The last few years, we haven’t lost too many games; we realized that we’re just as capable of losing as anyone else. I like what they did for Lawrenceville; they got really fired up. They left a lot of heart on the field. I like that game; both teams were trying to play quality hockey. There wasn’t pushing and shoving.”

Grant likes the quality of play she is getting from Passano. “Caroline is feisty,” said Grant, a former standout for the Duke University field hockey program.

“She’s aggressive to the ball not to the other person. She knows how to find the back of the goal. As a former forward, I see people like her who have great potential and I am constantly giving her little tips. She has to keep developing her skills.”

The first-year head coach also likes the partnership that is developing between Passano and Gaudioso-Radvany. “I think our forwards have been playing well in general over the course of the season,” asserted Grant. “There are definitely games where they are really on and they really connect. I’m hoping that starts becoming a natural thing.”

Stuart is looking to be on as much as possible in upcoming games. “It’s just consistency,” said Grant. “We need to play a full 60 minutes and not have a five-minute letdown where you let the other team gain control. We need to control the ball and keep in synch with each other.”

Passano, for her part, believes the team is developing the mentality to take control as it prepares to repeat in the MCT and gain the state Prep title that has eluded it the past two seasons.

“It is our mindset,” maintained Passano. “We really have to come into it and not think about last year. We need to get our intensity up and practice hard. We have to be ready to come out and play really well in the games. In the next few weeks, hopefully we’ll pull through. We’re all excited for the counties and states.”

And with an exciting new offensive force in Passano, Stuart will be tough to beat come tournament time.

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