WW-P North field hockey picks up where it left off
By: Justin Feil
Shannon Maruca was pretty confident that her West Windsor-Plainsboro North offense would be tough to stop this year.
"There are four returning varsity players who have been playing together for a few years," said the Knights head coach. "They’ve been clicking. They all have the speed and the stickwork. It’s a well-rounded team."
Even Maruca, however, was impressed by the debut of the Knights. They opened up with a 5-0 win over Nottingham on Friday and look for their second win today against Hightstown after building off the big win.
"When we started off, we weren’t really clicking," said Megan Pisani, who had four goals. "Winning by that much though made us really happy."
It alleviated some concern that Pisani had after coming back from one of the best years in North program history. WW-P North tied the school record with 13 wins last year, but wasn’t sure how they would be after suffering some major losses to graduation, including their starting center midfielder who set up much of their offense.
"With the loss of Kate Oser last year, I was really nervous to see what would happen," Pisani said. "We’ve been working really hard as a team. I’m hoping this year will be as good as last year."
Returning Pisani, a junior in her third year starting, is a big help. She teams with a forward line that includes four-year starter Christine Franz, fellow junior Meghan Hunter and the combination of candidates between Liz Chudzik, Molly Shevlin and Holland Thomas.
"They have all the qualities of really strong offensive players," Maruca said. "Megan Pisani has shot the ball more in game scrimmages than anyone I’ve seen. She was my right wing last year. She was doing so well with her shooting, I moved her into the middle. You can’t stop her. And she’s only a junior.
"She has improved since last year. She’s much stronger. Her stick skills are much stronger with her dodges, and she’s incorporated her speed into her stickwork. She’s not just carrying and crossing it. She’s actually doing the fakes and the pulls and the dodges. She takes the shots and she makes smart passes."
Pisani didn’t rest on last year’s solid sophomore season in which she tied Franz for a team-high 11 goals and also added three assists. She worked in the offseason to become a more dangerous threat on offense.
"This summer, I went to Rutgers field hockey camp which helped," Pisani said. "I tried out for this other Futures league and I made that, so that gave me a lot of confidence.
"I can tell the difference. I kind of know what I’m doing. Before, I hadn’t played for a while. I didn’t know what I was doing for my first year. Now I know."
With four goals in her opener, Pisani has shown she understands well her new position. It’s a change from the wing position she held in her first two years.
"This year is my first year playing on the inside," she said. "At first, I didn’t think I’d like it. I really liked the wing. I’m getting used it.
"With the wing, you have to stay on the post all the time. Now I have to be on the pads of the goalie."
Pisani was right there for two rebounds for two of her goals. Another time, she took a centering pass from Hunter, with whom she has played since eighth grade, and put it in the cage and once she dribbled in herself for a goal. Koko Kumar scored the other Knights goal. Hunter, Franz, Shevlin and new center midfielder Ann Dysart all had one assist apiece.
"We do have the experience there," Maruca said. "It was kind of like picking up where we left off last year. The girls went to camp together this year. Christine, Megan and Ann went to camp together. It shows.
"In the first half, we started off slow. But the girls pulled it together and started to move it around. The girls started to talk more. They started passing and using the sides. Ann was moving the ball well in the middle. That’s also a new position for her. Since Kate graduated, I moved Ann to middle. Ann was moving the ball well and Christine was coming back. They’re all pulling their weight, plus some. That’s why it’s such a great team. It’s not just the offensive line. They’re skilled in other positions. Meghan Hunter can come back and play at left mid position. They’re just gelling. It feels like the same team we had last year."
That team ended up being one of the best in program history. The Knights would like to be even better this fall. It starts with an offense that got off to a fast start and could be one of the strongest in the Colonial Valley Conference.
"Hopefully we’ll expect more than last year, a few goals a game," Pisani said. "Our forward line is really strong this year. I have hope for us."
Added Maruca: "They’re communicating well. They’re passing well. They’re doing everything they’re supposed to. Megan Pisani has great stickwork and can carry it down the field. Christine Franz has a great shot. They look good."
The defense, too, in front of new starting goalkeeper Melanie Zapantis has been strong through the preseason and the regular-season opener. If that can continue, the Knights know they’ll be in good shape.
"We scrimmaged Montgomery, PDS, Lawrence, Northern Burlington and so far we haven’t been scored on," Pisani said. "Hopefully we’re going to keep it up. It’s going to give us more confidence."

