By: Sean Richards
Rarely in the annals of sports has a team’s record been so unreflective of its season or fighting spirit.
Although the Monroe Township High School field hockey team’s final record of 4-10-4 might not sound like that much, the team actually played some very competitive games and could hold its own with anybody in the county at the conclusion of the season.
"I’m very proud of the girls," said coach Virginia Gonzalez. "When you look at the way the year was going for a while, it was an excellent way for a young team to end its season."
Where it was going for the longest of times was the ultimate in frustration. Through what proved to be a very long month of September, the Falcons didn’t win a single game.
Making it even worse was the fact they didn’t score for nearly a month as the team was completely un-rewarded for often holding a big advantage in territorial play.
Some teams might have started panicking, pointing figures or just become demoralized at what looked like a Murphy’s Law type of season.
Instead, the young Monroe team brought a fresh enthusiasm, renewed sense of optimism and a never-ending source of determination to every game and practice.
The result was the excruciating scoring draught came to a dramatic and startling end when Monroe busted out with a whopping six goals in a victory over Old Bridge in the first week of October. Four goals followed in a win over Piscataway.
The word was now out all over the Greater Middlesex Conference: Monroe is not the team you want to play in the county tournament.
Sure enough, the Falcons opened the tournament with a 2-1 "upset" victory over higher-seeded East Brunswick. Monroe’s season then came to an end in the semifinals against South Plainfield, but that was only after a wild two overtime periods and a shootout.
Clearly, this young team had arrived and it could now turn its attention to what’s sure to be a bust-out year in 2007.
"We did great in the tournament; the team really came together," agreed Gonzalez. "I’m absolutely looking forward to next season. All the girls who are returning feel the same way."
While Monroe had a lot of youth in its lineup and started a host of sophomores, the team will lose some players who made a great contribution to the program.
At the top of the senior list are Meghan Stark and Shannon Weber.
Showing what kind of team player she is, Stark started the year at forward before switching to the backline. Weber, meanwhile, was one of the most consistent goalies in Middlesex County. As a result, Stark and Weber were both named to the GMC’s All-Division team and will be competing in the Senior All-Star game on Dec. 3. Also look for Stark’s hockey career to continue in college. Among the schools she’s currently considering are Kean University and William Patterson.
Other seniors who were an important part of the team include Kelly Campbell, Rua Zhang, Ashley Henriques, Chrissie Mucciolo and Sara Hussain.
Among the talented sophomores were Saahithi Karuturi, Margaret Nawracaj and Justina Kupczak. All three were named to the honorable mention list of the league’s All-Division team and proved they are already very capable players. Nawracaj was among the team’s leading scorers with four goals.
Another thing to remember about the future of Monroe field hockey is the feeder programs are improving on both the junior high and youth levels.
It’s this sort of commitment and excitement that are sure to pay big dividends in the not-too-distant future.
"I’m very encouraged at where the program is headed," said Gonzalez. "We had some tough times this year, but it was different than other seasons.
"No matter what happened the girls were always pulling for each other. The spirit was great. I really think we became a team this year."
It’s an attitude that’s sure to rub off on the new players. When you put on a Monroe field hockey uniform these days you wear it with pride.

