A Look Back on the 2023 Field Hockey Season

Post date: February 1, 2024

This field hockey season was a big turn around. After finishing the 2022 season with a 7-8 record. This year, 2023,  Coach Logue-Newill  led the team to finish 11-6-1.  Interviews have been done and here is Coach Logue with some knowledge and advice from the season, “A little sadness that it’s over, but a ton of gratitude for how the season went. There is really nothing that I would have changed. Besides maybe winning one or two of those 1 goal games against premier opponents our season was just about as good as it could have been. Instilling the core values of integrity, instilling a good work ethic, and accountability. Developing young women with strength and good character. When you develop all of this, success will follow. To build teamwork, never allowing negative energy to enter a practice or game. Learning how to always build your teammates up. Understanding mistakes will happen by everyone, and letting them go. There are 14 girls right behind you ready to be Seniors! The seniors of this year have taught them how to be leaders, friends, and great teammates, so with that we will never stop progressing.” 

Great advice from Coach Logue-Newill, and excited to see what is in store next season!  Seniors were so thankful to have Coach Logue-Newill with them for their last season here at Southern. Next,  Senior Captain, Jessica Bruther shared her insight from this season, “Playing field hockey for this program was so much fun. I was taught so much as a player, person, and made so many friendships. I wouldn’t give that up for anything. One thing I would change about this season would be having the upperclassmen bond more with the freshman and sophomores. A strength of our team was that our bond was great and it made it easier to play together as a team. A weakness of our team was that some of our “easier” games we went into them thinking we were gonna beat them based off previous seasons when teams like Lacey had great players, leaving us to only beat them by two when we could’ve got the score up if we had a better mindset going into the games, and with that, allowing girls who didn’t get much playing time to get in. To make myself a better athlete, I joined a club field hockey team to play year round to work on my skills and knowledge of the game as well as working out, and running a lot during the off season. Some advice to give to the underclassmen is to always work harder and push yourself at every practice, but also have fun playing field hockey with your friends, and make the most of everything.” 

Lastly,  Junior, Avery Smith shared her outlook on this season, “Looking back on the season, the thing that sticks out to me the most is how we all supported each other. We were a cohesive group and all wanted to grow together. We never fell apart because there were always people that were there to pick you up if you made a bad play or had a disappointing game. I miss this year’s seniors so much. When I got the opportunity to play JV as a freshman, I was scared I would be excluded or shunned by the girls on the team. However, they welcomed me with open arms, even the ones whose spot I was taking. They are selfless and kind, and I'll miss their positive energy and all of the laughs they brought to the group. I wish we could have captured a few more wins where we only lost by 1 or 2 goals. Many times, we were right there, but ultimately were defeated, so I would have wanted us to win a few more of those types of games. I just can’t wait to have one more season with the sport and teammates I love. It’s been like a dream playing on this team, and I’m glad I get another year at it before it comes to an end. In the off-season, I ran sprints almost every day as well as practicing stickwork in my garage. I also went to the Barnegat turf field to improve my drive, and attended multiple college clinics to up my game. To make senior season the best one yet, I think everyone should be putting in a lot of work in the off-season and getting together to improve our team bonding. Additionally, we need to realize that Southern Field Hockey doesn’t last forever, so we should take advantage of every opportunity we have to get better and make long lasting memories.” 

  Overall, it is best to get a good point of view from people of all different perspectives. This season was hugely important to the 17 graduating seniors due to their cohesive bond, and getting to play with each other for the last six years. From what we have seen in these interviews, it was truly an unforgettable experience. This should be the reason why people would want to be a part of such an incredibly run program that we get to call Southern Field Hockey.