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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Stuart Field Hockey Has Right Mix To Cook Up Another Strong Season
By Bill Alden
Looking at her Stuart Country Day School field hockey team, head coach Missy Bruvik believes she has the right ingredients to cook up another strong season.
"I like the mix of classes," said Bruvik, whose 2003 team went 12-3-4 and made to the finals of the Mercer County Tournament and the state Prep semis.
"We have good senior leadership and our sophomores and juniors got a lot of experience last year."
A pivotal senior for the Tartans will be the fiery Taylor Blazewski, whose intensity on the field has made her a factor from the day she stepped through the door at Stuart.
"Taylor has been playing since freshman year," noted Bruvik, who is in her 19th year guiding the Stuart field hockey program. "She gives us good leadership."
A major task for Bruvik will be replacing the graduated All-Prep attacker Kelly Fitzpatrick, who was equally adept at passing, shooting, and defending.
Bruvik is hoping a pair of sophomores, her daughter, Kelly Bruvik, and Fitzpatrick's younger sister, Megan Fitzpatrick, can pick up the slack.
"I'm looking to my Kelly to step up," added Bruvik. "I think Megan Fitzpatrick should also play a role for us up front."
Others in the mix for Stuart up front include senior Sam Hackney, junior Alice Murnen, and sophomore Eleanor Hayes-Larson.
In the midfield, Bruvik will be juggling her line-up, moving up some veterans who have previously played in the back.
The Tartans believe that senior Sarah Williams and sophomores Elizabeth Collichio and Elizabeth Van Itallie will shore things up in the middle and provide the link between the defense and the attack.
The defensive backline will be anchored by speedy, cool-headed Ami Patel. "I thought Ami gained so much for us last season," asserted Bruvik of the junior sweeper. "She wants to practice and initiate plays. I like the effort she puts into preparing."
Patel should be joined in the back by classmates Megan Manela, Meg Henry, and Mary Jane Sweetland, together with senior Kendall Haring.
Stuart's last line of defense will be provided by junior goalkeeper Christa Goeke, who rotated in the cage over the last two seasons with the graduated Maya Thompson.
Bruvik is confident that Goeke will shine in the limelight. "Christa has been in a lot of hot spots for us over the last two years," said Bruvik, noting that she customarily inserted Goeke in the second half of Stuart's games.
"She had the highest save percentage in the county last year. She has paid her dues and has gained a lot of experience. She's ready to be our sole goalie."
Bruvik, who guided the Tartans to the state Prep title in 2002, believes her squad can do some damage down the stretch of the season.
"By the end of the season, we hope to be peaking," maintained Bruvik, whose club opens its 2004 season on September 10 by playing at Princeton Day School, the team that knocked it out of the state Prep tournament last season. "I think our experience and balance will help us."
Stuart, which lost its last two games last season, should benefit from the fact that it will finally get to play some home games after having been forced to play on the road the last two years while its fields were getting repaired.
"We do have the home field, I think that should help with the fatigue factor," said Bruvik. "We'll have fewer bus rides and I'll be able to get them home earlier. It should be a huge asset to the mental part of their game."
But with her team having won plenty of games even when playing exclusively on the road, Bruvik maintains that success is hardly dependent on where the team plays.
"They are good kids, they work hard," asserted Bruvik. "They just need to stay focused."
