(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: AT WHIT’S END: Stuart Country Day field hockey star Whitney Charbonneau heads up the field last Friday during Stuart’s 6-0 win over visiting Academy of New Church. Senior forward Charbonneau tallied two goals and an assist in the win to help fuel Stuart’s attack. The Tartans, now 2-5, play at the Ranney School on September 30, host Pennington on October 1, and then play at Montgomery High on October 4.

Sparked by Charbonneau’s Scoring Prowess, Stuart Field Hockey Cruises Past ANC 6-0

Bill Alden

Whitney Charbonneau acknowledged that the Stuart Country Day field hockey team sorely needed a lift as it hosted Academy of New Church (ANC) last Friday. “We have had kind of a rocky start to the season so far,” said senior forward Charbonneau of the Stuart squad, which entered the game mired in a three-game losing streak. “Our past couple of losses have been a tad disheartening.”

Charbonneau showed heart and skill Friday, scoring two goals and assisting on another as the Tartans scored six unanswered goals in the first 18 minutes of the game with ANC.

Enjoying that cushion, Stuart cruised through the second half on the way to 6-0 triumph.

Afterward, a smiling Charbonneau basked in the glow of the satisfying win. “We finally put it all together today; everyone was very poised,” said Charbonneau.

“It’s so evident that once we get that first goal in, the entire dynamic of the team changes because we play smarter. Everyone just seems happier.”

The team’s dynamic performance last Friday was the product of some hard work in training.

“So far in practice, finishing has been our main focus,” said Charbonneau. “It has been really frustrating, knowing we could have gotten that extra tip. Everyone wants it; it’s just a matter of making it happen.”

As a tri -captain of the Tartans along with classmates Lara Agnew and Kristi Hallowell, Charbonneau feels a special responsibility to make things happen this fall.

“We are really close and we bring different elements to the captainship,” said Charbonneau.

“We have Lara who is a midfielder and she is a rock there. Kristi is an amazing offensive player. I have become a lot more confident in myself because I know that now that I am a senior, I have to step it up. It’s been really great.”

Stuart’s first-year head coach Julie Lambi liked the way her team stepped up collectively against ANC.

“We needed this for many reasons,” asserted Lambi. “Most importantly, I think just for team morale. We have been trying to get it started. We have been trying a whole new practice philosophy and figuring some things out that we needed to work on. We know where we can go from here; it was such a good day to have a breakout performance.”

Lambi was happy with both her team’s mentality and execution. “We could not have asked for more intensity on the field,” said Lambi, whose team showed intensity last Saturday in falling 3-2 to powerful Hopewell Valley to drop to 2-5 on the season.

“I think they really brought the sense of urgency and the will to want to win today. They also played really, really good hockey all around, all over the field. It was a fun game to watch.”

It was fun for Lambi to see Charbonneau lead the charge against ANC. “Whitney was awesome; we had so many people helping out in the circle that the forwards’ job was made easier for them,” added Lambi, who also got goals from Agnew, Colleen Baker, Angela Gallagher, and Brienna DeVlugt in the win over ANC.

“We were super aggressive in the circle which was refreshing to see. Once we got that first goal, I think we had that confidence to know that we could keep scoring. Other people stepped up. I thought Amy Hallowell played fantastic in the backfield and the midfield. Kristi [Hallowell] did a good job because she made the passes. Colleen Baker was really aggressive at forward. She had some great one-on-one moves and she wasn’t happy until the ball went into the cage.”

In Lambi’s view, some fine-tuning in practice helped pave the way for Friday’s outburst.

“We have just been breaking down certain game situations; working on certain weaknesses that we have been seeing in our play and breaking it down to the basics,” said Lambi.

“Rather than throwing a whole concept at them at a time, we are breaking things into smaller chunks and then putting it all together.”

In the wake of the win, Lambi is hoping that her team can put things together over the rest of the fall.

“We have some things that we still need to work on but now we have a clear picture,” said Lambi, whose team plays at the Ranney School on September 30, hosts Pennington on October 1, and then plays at Montgomery High on October 4.

“We set the bar high; now we know it is expected every game. We are happy with the scoring but the play in general was high caliber and quality.”

Charbonneau, for her part, is expecting some big things from the Tartans after Friday’s effort. “I think this game is going to pave the way for the rest of the season,” asserted Charbonneau.

“It really feels great; everyone is just ecstatic right now. This is what we really need to continue the season on a good note.”

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