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Morgan Field Hockey Has Season of Growth and Learning in 2011

The Morgan field hockey squad may have struggled to win games this fall, but no one can say it struggled to come together as a team and put its best foot forward. Posting only a 3-12-1 record this season, the Huskies put in the hard work and even boasted a few all-conference players to boot at the end of the campaign.

"This season was a wonderful learning and rebuilding year for Morgan. Our record did not reflect the growth we have made from last year until the end of this season," said first-year Coach Melissa Fritze, who was assisted by Melissa Vincelette. "The girls focused on learning the fundamentals of the game and it was great to see them progress with each game. We did not make it into the state tournament as hoped, but we have a strong group returning next year."

With Morgan's wins coming versus Lyman Hall in mid-September and against Valley Regional twice-including a 4-0 victory on the Huskies' Senior Night and then in the last contest of the season-Morgan saw magic from its captains in Cassie Cochrane (Coaches' Award), defensive back Kim Driscoll (Second Team All-Shoreline and Best Defensive Player Award), and forward Sarah Thompson (Second Team All-Shoreline, Second Team All-State, Best Offensive Player Award, and the fifth-leading scorer in the Shoreline with 12 goals and four assists). Also contributing were defensive back Lele Nguyen (Honorable Mention All-Shoreline and Best Defensive Player Award), Rory Smith (11th-leading scorer in the conference with nine goals and one assist), Kaitlyn Conway (Most Improved Award), Kate Eveland (MVP), Taylor Lecza (Mary Bennett Utility Award), Charlotte Limosani, and freshmen Kelly Thompson, Macy Lebert, and Riley Musial (Rookie of the Year Award).

With Cochrane being the only graduating senior on the squad, the Huskies look to return next fall with a plethora of experience.

"We are losing one senior captain in Cassie Cochrane and it is going to be hard to replace her. She has had a huge impact on our team on and off the team," said Fritze. "Cassie was a very coachable player, who was always willing to learn and improve her game. Next year, we hope to have some more players on the team and to continue to grow together."