| 09/21/2006 |
| Stonewall field hockey coaches find glimmers of hope |
| By: Dan Roem |
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Finding positive words to describe a 14-0 home field loss
requires rationalization, optimism and a can-do attitude at
work. Stonewall Jackson's field hockey coaches Veronica and
Gina Carr not only put the best spin possible on their loss
to the Culpeper Blue Devils Tuesday night in Manassas, they
also commended their players in the process.
"These girls have started from nothing, from not knowing
anything, to what they know on the field now, which is pretty
impressive," head coach Veronica Carr said.
Challenges She added that while most teams they face have junior varsity squads to scrimmage against and are chartered as varsity teams at their schools, half of the 14 Raiders - 11 must be on the field at all times - are playing in their first year. There is no junior varsity team to scrimmage against and the girls must fund their own way through the season because the team relies on money raised by the supporting booster club. Many of the players also sweat it out on the field for the full 60 minutes with little rest. On Tuesday, right midfielder Megan Linebaugh rested on the sidelines as the clock rolled for all of six seconds. "A lot of the girls have to play like that," the head coach said. "They have to play the entire game in order to keep up." Linebaugh and six other girls - right back Kristen Crowder, right inner Noelle Najjar, right backs Kristin Bebrle and Kristen Crowder, center midfielder Vicki Toadvine and goalkeeper Challee Blackwelder - have field hockey experience. To sign up a full squad, the head coach said returning players told their friends who have never played before, "This is a great sport. You need to come out and play." Leadership With initiative comes leadership. The head coach, now in her eighth year coaching field hockey and her first year with Stonewall Jackson, placed the "leader" brand on Najjar. "I think number 33 Noelle is a leader in practice and in the games," she said. "But we have some people who are just really shy during the practices, like Megan (Linebaugh), and step up in the game." Assistant coach Gina Carr described players who step up as simply being determined on the field and doing what is asked by the coaching staff. First-year right winger Jenny Morales has proved to be a surprising standout, due to her hustling, keeping her head in the game and taking her coaches' words to heart, according to the Carrs. "When we lose the ball, she drops back on defense," the assistant coach said. "A lot of people, when they're really tired, just stand up and watch the play. She still drops back on every single play and when she gets the ball, again, and she's a forward, she shoots straight up to the open." Head coach Carr said Morales is "fast and she pulls energy out when a lot of people can't get some energy. She listens to exactly what you tell her in the huddle and she uses it. She applies it to the game. So, if we tell them, 'You need to use the sidelines more because this team is really inside,' she'll use the sidelines.' " Learning Rookies and veterans for Stonewall will be looking at this season as a developing year for a young team and the coaches said they will note the progress each player makes. "I know we're 0-3 right now, but we also played the three toughest teams in the league right in a row," assistant coach Carr said. "If anything, it's learning." What the head coach has found out is that her girls perform better as the game goes on instead of losing their composure. Against Culpeper, the Blue Devils scored eight goals in the first half, but the Raiders held them to six in the second half. That may not sound like much, but it is part of a picture the head coach is painting for her team. "They're a late-in-the-game team," she said. "And I think once their confidence goes up, they'll be able to move up from the last 12 minutes to the last 25 minutes. And then maybe it'll be the last half, and that's how they're going to build their confidence up. Right now, I think we're seeing it one game at a time." Tuesday night provided Stonewall with its first offensive corner shot of the young season, as well as the team's first shot on goal, which came in the second half. "We were looking for people to step up," the assistant coach said. "I mean, there were ... players that we had, that are always going to be at a certain level. And we always expect that out of them. We're always curious to see who's going to step up. The last two games, it's been Jenny Morales." On most teams, the offensive players, those taking shots on goal, define themselves as team leaders. But for a fledgling team like Stonewall, the players are playing defense and on their own end of the field for the majority of the game. And that means leadership roles must be seen from a different vantage point. "So some of the people who are defense, they are leaders; they really step up," head coach Carr said. "They go out there. The center-midi (also) has to be a leader. This season, I see these girls getting a lot of confidence. And I see them learning stuff that they might not have been able to learn in the past. I just hope they have as much fun as we're having."
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