WASHINGTON TWP. – The West Morris Central High School field hockey team will have new direction this fall. Traci Buchanan returns to lead the Wolfpack after serving as the head coach from 2000-09. She’ll bring with her a new staff of assistants that include Laurie Spaziano, Faith Spaziano and Tanya LaBell. West Morris – previously led by Courtney Barnett – finished last season 13-5-2, reaching the Morris County Tournament semifinals and the North Jersey, Group 2 quarterfinals. The Wolfpack recorded 10 shutout victories.
For Buchanan, younger players will have to step up this season which opens at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Hunterdon Central. “We are very excited to see how the hard work put in by the girls in the offseason translates into success in the regular season,” she said. “We are a very young team with a very small group of seniors. The younger girls are going to have to step into some big roles but we feel they are ready for the challenge.”
Junior forward Macy Sabo will be a key piece for West Morris after finishing with 11 goals and eight assists last fall. Her 11 goals were second best on the team. Complimenting her will be junior midfielder/forward Lauren Carbon, who tacked on nine goals to go with eight assists as a sophomore. Other notable players include senior defender Kyra Demarest, junior forward Eliza Pickard, junior forward Kelsey Mack, junior midfielder Abigail Decker, junior defender Caitlin Ashburn, sophomore defender Kaia Jackson and sophomore defender/midfielder Sophia Guzman.
The schedule features the likes of Morris Knolls, Montville, Randolph, Morristown, Chatham, Mendham, Mount Olive, Lenape Valley, Roxbury and Pequannock. “Our schedule is competitive and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Buchanan added. The program has certainly been accustomed to winning over the years. Buchanan will look to carry that tradition. As far as early-season preparations, the returning coach has been active with getting the team ready to go. “We are focusing on skill work, fundamentals, conditioning and short-sided game play,” she said. “During our early-season prep, we are also focusing on mindset and mental toughness.”
After the season opener, West Morris will host Morris Knolls at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, and Montville at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9.
pnardone@newjerseyhills.com