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Greenwich Academy Seeks to Gain Varsity Experience Quickly

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Greenwich Academy junior captain Grace Schulze sprints down the field during a field hockey game last season. This year Schulze, along with Maya Walker, are the two junior captains. (photo courtesy of the Greenwich Academy athletic department)

By Paul Silverfarb
Sentinel Editor

A plethora of talented field hockey players graduated from Greenwich Academy last season, and head coach Jamie Brower knows this season will be a little tougher than usual.

However, that doesn’t mean the Gators don’t have the same lofty goals and expectations as always.

“We are very young,” said Brower. “We lost some very good players last year, and we have some key positions that we need to figure out. Despite being young, we have been getting much better after every practice and after every scrimmage. They are young, but they are very eager to work hard and learn. We have some great leadership in our captains and by some of our kids that are coming back from last year that have played a lot. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are pretty pleased at where we are right now.”

Last season was quite memorable for Brower’s Gators. They finished the season with an impressive 19-1 record overall. A 3-2 victory over Phillips Andover Academy gave Greenwich Academy the New England Prep School Athletic Conference championship. And, that was a perfect way to cap off another amazing season at GA.

However, Brower knew that the end of the season also meant that athletes like Karina Schulze, Caroline Hughes, Sophia Viola and goaltenders Maggie Reville and Isabelle Santucci, all played their final game for the Gators.

“We have some players that are young but have some playing experience,” Brower said. “We have 11 people back, and I think six of them really played. Only a handful have really limited minutes last year, so they are young in their experience. We have added seven new players to the team, who are freshmen and sophomores. We have one senior that has been added to the team, but she is new to the team and has never been on varsity.”

For Brower and assistant coach Sally Duval, they are in unfamiliar territory. With the experience GA had on its roster in the past, the coaches knew that when the preseason started they had to go right into the playbook and talk strategy. This year it’s all about going back to basics, which isn’t a bad thing for Brower.

“It’s actually revitalizing because you remember all the things that they need to know that they don’t quite know yet,” Brower said. “You feel more confident that you’re preparing them for what lies ahead instead of rolling through it and taking it for granted. It’s going to be more work on our part and more work on the returners, but it will pay dividends down the road,” Brower added.

Leading the way this year will be co-captains Maya Walker and Grace Schulze, who, along with fellow junior Katharine Glassmeyer, are the only players who have been on the varsity team since freshman year. In addition, this is the first time under Brower that the Gators will not be led by senior captains.

Brower said that although they are captains, both Walker and Schultz are still learning how to be an effective captain.

“They are doing an amazing job,” Brower said. “When you’re a senior and a captain, you have a little bit of help just knowing that you’re a senior. So, with them being juniors, it brings the playing field a little bit more level. However, they have done a really nice job so far with their leadership on the field. They are working really hard and teaching the younger kids. This is a position that demands a lot out of them and they are learning as they go also. So far we are really pleased.”

Brower stated that both her captains bring a different strength to the field.

“Grace has a tenacity and an eye for the game that is very unique,” Brower said. “She is always working her tail off, and people have to keep up with her. She sets the bar high. Maya is also a very intelligent field hockey player, so from her to see the game from back there and teach the people in front of her, as well as our goalie behind her, will be crucial for us.”

One of the most noticeable differences on the GA team this year will be between the pipes. For the first time in many seasons, there will be a new face in goal. Longtime starting goaltender Maggie Reville graduated this past May and so did backup Isabelle Santucci, who graduated early from GA. So taking over is freshman Hamilton Doster.

“It’s a very unique situation and we are so happy for both that they are doing well at college,” Brower said. “She’s not necessarily a field hockey goalie, but she’s an excellent athlete and a smart athlete.”

And there’s nobody better than Brower, who used to play the goaltending position in college, to help the newcomer gain confidence between the pipes.

“It’s exciting to teach someone from the very starting base of goalkeeping,” Brower said. “You forget that the things you just expect her to know, she has no idea about. I am spending a good amount of time with her, but not as much as I need to. It is strange to me because I am going from experienced goalies where all I have to do is just yell a couple of words and they know what I mean, to explaining what I am yelling because the goalie is new at the position. I am lucky because she’s so eager to learn and is very smart. She’s very athletic and she doesn’t need a lot of explaining because she’s picking up the position so quickly. We are really excited about having her in the net,” she added.

Helping Doster get used to the goaltending position will be familiar faces to defense, as the defensive trio of Walker and Antonia Packard, both juniors, and sophomore Sophie Freedman, are all returning from last year. Also working into the mix at defense will be sophomore Ada Shaffer and freshman Elizabeth Dale.

“We have a great, solid backfield,” Brower said. “It’s very important for us to have that returning group. Our strength is that we have so many people that can play so many positions. We are looking forward to feeling more settled, and people are getting to know certain positions better than others. Our hope is that all three of those defenders have strengths that they can bring forward or into the midfield. There are so many options, but for now it’s really great to have them in the backfield and know that if we need them to move up, it’s there,” he added.

When it comes to the midfield, the key returner will be Glassmeyer. Sophomore Julia Freedman was a midfielder last year and has been bumped up to the forward line because of her speed. Also seeing a lot of playing time this year at midfield will be Lily Burger, the lone senior, and Brower said that she’s a great distributor with the ball. In addition, sophomores Olivia Jonokuchi and Alessia Packard, as well as freshman Jordan Pittignano, will be worked into the midfield.

“Katharine has done an excellent job being a steady midfielder, whether she’s on the left or in the middle,” Brower said. “She has really worked on her game during the offseason and is showing a lot of great leadership in the midfield. I feel really good about where she is.”

The Greenwich Academy attack will be paced by Grace Schulze, and the expectation level for her is at an all-time high. Last year, Schulze had a seasoned forward line that worked well together. This year, Brower would like to create that same type of passing chemistry.

Freedman has been on the left side, while sophomore Lila Murray will be used for her speed, as well. In addition, Packard, juniors Elektra Rodger and Evelyn Barringer, sophomore Georgia Gallagher and freshman Cameron will be used on the forward line at times.

“They are all fast, and our job as coaches is to figure out how to maximize that speed that we have,” Brower said. “That’s the biggest place where we have a lot of puzzle pieces still not totally worked out. But we certainly have potential for a very quick forward line,” he said.

So far this preseason, Brower has been really impressed with her team’s field hockey IQ, noting that even the athletes that never played or barely got minutes last year, have worked hard in the offseason and have all raised their game.

“Although they don’t have the experience and the game speed decisions down quite yet, they understand the mindset what we are trying to get to as a team,” Brower said. “We are trying to be a passing team and trying to not hold on to the ball. We are also trying to support each other and communicate, so that we know where people are on the field. That part is coming along, and we are thrilled with that,” he said.

With the Gators being young on varsity experience this season, don’t think the opposition will take GA lightly. When you’re a perennial powerhouse, as Greenwich Academy has been, every team always brings it’s A game.

“You never want to take any game for granted,” Brower said. “There are some years where you certainly feel more confident going into them, but we are building our confidence right now. I am very confident in the potential that this team has. I am very excited about the season, but I think, even more so than in other seasons, we are going to learn from each game, regardless of the score. We need to take advantage of each opportunity and dissect it and grow from it. Our success might not be measured in goals this year, it may be measured in growth. And that’s a little bit of a different mindset.”

And that means that Brower hasn’t deviated from her team’s annual goals, which is to be the top team in both the Fairchester Athletic Association and in NEPSAC as well.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” Brower said. “But I feel very strongly that there’s no reason why our goals shouldn’t be the same as they are every year. The way we are going to achieve them is to take it one game at a time, improve all the time and grow after each practice and game. That growth has to be steeper than it’s been in the past, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have the same goals as usual.”

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