By Sam Keller ’19,  Staff Writer

Is the 2016 Newark Academy Field Hockey team’s success the result of hard work or superstition? If you ask a member of the varsity football team, he might say field hockey owes their success to the two teams’ field swap, which allowed the field hockey team to practice on the “lucky side” of Coursen Field. In actuality, however, the team’s success is the result of a combination of individual fitness, team comradery, strong leadership and pure commitment.

The team currently has a 6-8-3 record, far superior to their 3-18 showing last year. Some highlights include a nail-biting overtime win against Governor Livingston at the start of their season and their 1-1 tie with a skilled Glen Ridge team who had previously gotten the better of us in the county tournament. Beyond to these impressive triumphs, their proudest achievement was their 2-0 win over rival MKA, a milestone that has eluded them for over four years.

Various components have contributed to the team’s newfound success. One factor was a change in league alignment that altered their schedule. As a result of this change, rather than competing with some of the best teams in the state in the opening games of their season, the team was able to match up against teams of comparable skill. In addition, Coach Barker commented, “The team showed up to preseason in such great shape that we did not even have to focus on fitness, but instead could go right to improving skills and tactics.” Clearly, these girls were not satisfied with the disappointment of previous seasons and were eager to improve.

The team’s comeback is best reflected by the dramatic change in their offensive statistics. While field hockey has scored approximately 10 goals in the past three years combined, their goal count has reached 27 this season, nine of which have been netted by leading goal scorer Lauren Katz.

Coach Barker also noted that the senior leadership from captains Amelia Evans, Eva Verzani, and Indiana Rich has impacted the season tremendously. Their capabilities on the field are evident in their verbal commitments to play at the collegiate level; however, their leadership on and off the field are equally impressive. When captain Eva Verzani was asked to pinpoint one specific thing that has contributed to this team’s success, she responded, “I’d say that it’s the fact that everybody on the team really loves competing. We all get out to practice early to pass around because we love the sport. We’re willing to work hard in practice and get results because we all want to be there and because we push one another to be better.” The team is meshing at every level of the game and it is showing in the win/loss column. Their passion for the sport has quickly made the field hockey team one of the more successful sports teams in the school.

More than anything, however, the bonds the players share with one another contribute to the team’s overwhelming success. Amelia Evans put it best when she expressed, “We all really love the sport and each other… we have a great relationship with one another and work hard for one another since we’re all very invested.” The team’s chemistry on and off the field is apparent and their comeback is a demonstration that hard work and determination reap great reward. The whole school looks forward to seeing if this improvement can continue into next season and beyond, as the field hockey turns a new page in their story.