Girls Field Hockey: Massapequa 2011 Preview

The Massapequa Field Hockey team are no newcomers to success on the field during the fall season. The Chiefs have won five out of the last six Nassau County championships, the latest coming against New Hyde Park in the Class A title game just a year ago.

Playing out of Conference II-League I this year, Massapequa has high hopes of continuing that tradition after finishing with a 13-5-1 overall record in 2010 en route to the championship.

“We want to make sure, as a team, that we come together and start working together, then from there our goal is always County championships,” said head coach Barbara Lowell. “We always want to start off well and start winning right away in September.”

Last Season: 13-5-1 overall; won Nassau County Class A championship

Coach: Barbara Lowell (4^th year)

Top Players:

• Kelsey O’Brien, senior, left wings
• Laura Waldron, senior, defense
• Nicole Scicutella, senior, center back
• Andrea Bourgal, senior, utility/center back

Position Breakdown: Massapequa graduated five seniors from the team last season, including All-State midfielder Katie Cooney and All-Conference Honorable Mention defender Taylor Hein.

Looking to continue the winning ways are senior Kelsey O’Brien, who is the all-time leading scorer in Chiefs Field Hockey history. She earned All-Conference and All-Long Island honors along with being selected to the New York State Field Hockey team. 

Anchoring the midfield and defensive unit is All-County Honorable Mention senior Laura Waldron, as well as seniors Nicole Scicutella and Andrea Bourgal, who both earned All-Conference honors in 2010. 

“The team looks like we’re going to be strong again this year. We lost a lot of good talent last year but it looks like we have some new girls coming up to carry the weight of the team,” said Waldron. “The expectations are still high. I want to win, get to Long Island’s and hopefully this year will be the year that we can win it.”

Expectations: The top competition in the league this year for Massapequa will be Garden City, one of the top teams in the state, Manhasset, Cold Spring Harbor, Friends Academy and Carle Place.

Despite the tough competition due to realignment, the Chiefs have high hopes with a wealth of experience on their side.

“Coming off of last season, we have high expectations for ourselves. I am really looking forward to it and it should be a lot of fun,” O’Brien said. “I’m looking forward to taking a leadership role out on the field and also for the younger girls on the team. You want to make sure that everyone is playing together and having a lot of fun, which will result in hopefully a lot of wins.”

Massapequa invites back their top scorer and the core of their defense, so a deep playoff run should be well within reach for this team during the 2011 season.

“We want to start winning and scoring right away and as we move on that County championship is of course the top goal,” added Lowell.

Key Games:

• September 14: Massapequa @ Garden City, 4:15 p.m.
• September 23: Cold Spring Harbor @ Massapequa, 7 p.m.
• October 18: Massapequa @ East Meadow, 4:15 p.m.
• October 24: Massapequa @ Carle Place, 4:15 p.m.