Sparked by Senior Murphy’s Leadership, Production, Stuart Field Hockey’s Young Squad Showing Growth

Betsy Murphy was not going to be denied.

With the Stuart Country Day School field hockey team trailing Moorestown Friends 2-0 in the second quarter last Wednesday, Tartan senior Murphy fought through a scrum in the circle to get her stick on the ball and blasted it into the back of the cage.

“It is definitely something we have been working on, just getting it in,” said Murphy, who banged in a rebound of one of her shots. “I was frustrated with myself, I just wanted to get it in. I was ‘OK, I was glad it got in.’ It felt nice to be able to put it in for the team.”

Trailing 2-1 heading into the second half, Stuart was looking to put in a good effort.

“We wanted to keep it up and keep our momentum going and keep our defense intact,” said Murphy. “We are a young team, there is a lot of inexperience and not a lot of subs.”

Moorestown Friends seized the momentum as it scored three unanswered goals in the third quarter to extend its lead to 5-1. Stuart responded with a goal early in the fourth quarter by Zoe McDonald off a deft feed from Elaina Ryan but the Foxes added two more goals to prevail 7-2.

While the result was disappointing, Murphy saw positives from the effort by the Tartans as they dropped to 0-5 on the season.

“Getting goals for us is progress, we have had a few games were we were scoreless,” said Murphy, noting that Stuart had only scored one goal in its first four games. “I feel like the first three quarters on defense, we were in there. I saw progress with sticks down. A lot of us were in it and playing off of each other and together.”

As a co-captain and the only senior on the roster, Murphy is getting a kick out of mentoring her younger teammates.

“I am the lone senior, I really enjoy it,” said Murphy. “I have never been the oldest teammate. I love my team so much. The progress of the young players is really fun to watch.”

On the field, Murphy knows she has to speak up. “It is definitely communication,” said Murphy. “We have freshmen with different levels of experience and it is mixing that and uplifting everybody. Everyone has their own role so it make sure they know that.”

In going through her final season of field hockey, Murphy is savoring the experience.

“I am really trying to make the most of it right now,” said Murphy, who also plays for the Stuart basketball and lacrosse teams. “I started field hockey in my 10th grade year so this is my third season. I am definitely just trying to make the most of it and have fun with my teammates.”

Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik had fun watching her squad battle back from the early 2-0 deficit.

“We are still working on keeping what we are learning in practice and applying it in to the game situations,” said Bruvik. “I think once we said that during the quarter break, we were getting shots on goal. We were controlling the ball more successfully. I saw the great passing and just moving the ball more successfully.”

Bruvik wasn’t surprised to see Murphy break through with a goal.

“She was relentless,” said Bruvik of Murphy. “We need her in the midfield. We moved her up on attack to generate a lot more offense. She has got a strong shot.”

The connection between juniors Ryan and McDonald on the fourth quarter tally showed progress on the offensive end.

“Elaina had a nice game, her pass from the baseline was beautiful,” said Bruvik. “She has been working really hard on that. Zoe got that pass from Elaina and was holding her space. She has got a nice forehand and backhand. I told her it just that patience so I loved it.”

The trio of Maddie Traska, goalie Ellery Badros, and Karina Hannawacker gave the Tartans some good work at the defensive end against the Foxes.

“As individuals they are all making progress,” said Bruvik. “Maddie T. had a good game in the backfield and she is just a freshman. That was awesome to see. Ellery had some great saves for being in the cage for a couple of weeks. That was her first start. Karina is also a natural defender. She is strong on the ball and that is where she has played the last two years. She has good experience back there. She is a captain along with Betsy so it is good to have that leadership in the backfield.”

Bruvik credits Murphy with bringing a special brand of leadership to the program.

“Betsy is one of the most responsible student-athletes we have in the school,” said Bruvik. “She shows up every day ready to play and ready to share her knowledge. She is able to verbalize. She has learned so much from the other captains. It is a natural fit for her. She fills the role. She is so well respected by her teammates with her approachability.”

Bruvik believes that her young squad will keep learning as the fall unfolds.

“We have to build on those finishes,” said Bruvik, whose team plays at Piscataway on October 9. “We also just tighten it up in the back with just a little more support. We have to get our midfielders to make sure that they are not playing too high. It is working hard and just staying low on the ball and being strong on the ball. It is not lifting our sticks and giving other teams those opportunities and working on our corner defense. We have to be a little more aggressive and challenge other teams.”

In Murphy’s view, the Tartans need to be more aggressive for all 60 minutes in games to get on the winning track.

“We definitely need to work on staying consistent throughout the whole game,” said Murphy. “I think in the fourth quarter, we kind of slowed down a little bit but that is our lack of depth on the bench. It is continuing to work together and work off of each other.”