Sports
Lindsay Breen Named Field Hockey Coach of the Year
Coach Breen led the field hockey team to their first state tournament appearance in the program's history.
After leading the field hockey team to their first winning record and appearance in the state tournament, coach Lindsay Breen was named Cape Ann League Coach of the Year by the Eagle Tribune.
"Receiving this award is very humbling for me," said coach Breen. "I have so much respect for my colleagues in the Cape Ann League and for them to nominate me makes it that much more special."
In just her third season as coach, she led the team to an 8-6-3 record, a drastic improvement from a 1-win 2010 season and a zero win 2009 season.
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"The kids were always focused and motivated. I am not surprised that in just three years the girls have found a way to put it all together and win," she said.
Before coming to North Reading, Breen played for successful teams at North Andover High School and Stonehill College, and coached at Lawrence High School.
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"The record of North Reading didn’t reflect that same approach to the sport that I believed in, but the kids did," Breen said. "They set small, realistic goals each season and focused on attaining them every day on the field. They just worked and improved day after day. They adopted this positive way of looking at it - they left it all on the field, controlled what they could, and focused on the team- and that is what it was all about."
The team will be losing five seniors, including All-CAL midfield and defense Julia Shaw and Local-CAL midfielder Julia Kelliher. But with 12 returning underclassmen, Breen is excited for the program's future.
"I believe that anything can be accomplished with the right level of skill, hard work, and combinations of talent and personality. So I am very excited to hopefully continue to improve upon this season as a whole next fall," she said.
Breen also teaches at the and carries the same enthusiasm she has for field hockey into her classroom.
"I consider myself very lucky to have made my passions into my career and to work at both the elementary and high school levels. Kids love to be surrounded by positive energy, and I really do learn so much from my daily interactions with both my students and my student-athletes."
