After finishing 13-5-1 last season, the Staples Girls Field Hockey looks to repeat success and make it even further this year.

This will be no easy task as they look to replace a strong senior class. The team must replace two Bowdoin commits Elizabeth Bennewitz and Meg Fay, along with captain and Middlebury lacrosse commit, Jenna McNicholas, and Emma Laney, a potential walk on at James Madison University. Additionally, they are losing captain Maggie Fair, along with Sarah Duvall.

This year’s team will captained by Jordan Ragland ’16, Jodie Baris ’16 and Gilli Rozynek ’16. Ragland committed to the University of New Hampshire last January, and Baris is looking to commit somewhere in the near future.

“I’m confident that we still have a ton of potential for the season,” Rozynek commented on replacing last years fire power. “We have a lot of good underclassmen, some being Meg Johnson and Abby Najarian and a lot of good players that played on varsity last year, like Colleen Bannon, who know the pace and skill set needed to compete.”

In addition to losing a strong senior class, former coach, Ashley Delvecchio, has stepped down and will be replaced by Ian Tapsall.

“I’m very excited to have my club team coach join the varsity squad. He’s great and I think he will push us hard and bring new strategies to the team to help us win more games,” Jordan Ragland said.  

Tapsall was a member of the 2014 United States Men’s Master’s National Team. He has also coached summer camps at University of Virginia and Princeton. The new coach has been getting his girls ready for the season with a lot of fitness, conditioning, and scrimmage play.

Tapsall emphasizes that, “Success on the field stems from fitness.” In addition to fitness Coach Tapsall has transformed the team’s approach to the game.

Rozynek added, “Ian has been teaching us many new plays and things we’ve never been taught before that are super useful to win.”

Field Hockey super fans can expect a new look and dynamic on the turf this year.

Along with a new strategy, spectators should be on the lookout for young talent. Rozynek and Ragland have raved about Colleen Bannon ’17, Meg Johnson ’18, Christine Taylor ’18, and Chloe Deveney ’17. Also watch out for Ragland ’16 and Baris ‘16 to lead the team on the field this year.
The Wreckers had their first game against Stamford on Saturday and won 4-0. The girls also took on Trumbull on Tuesday at Ginny Parker Field, winning by just a goal in a 1-0 match.