Last fall, the Norwood field hockey team put together a successful regular season going 12-5-1; unfortunately, they were eliminated in the preliminary round of the Division 1 South Tournament with a 2-1 loss to Attleboro. Coach Alison Doliner would like to get her squad back to playing at the top of their game once again this season, but with the loss of a bona-fide star and the distractions of Covid-19, she is not sure how things will go this fall.
Norwood lost Allie McDonough, the Tri-Valley League’s MVP that last two seasons. McDonough was the Mustangs top goal scorer since her sophomore campaign. Last year as senior, she netter 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points. Although a natural athlete at the sport and one that will be tough to replace, the Norwood Coach is positive that Maggie Curran (12 goals-5 assists for 17 points) and Molly Mannering(6 goals-4 assists for 10 points), her second and third scorers respectively, will step it up to make up for McDonough’s loss.
Not only will the loss of the league’s MVP hinder the Mustangs game, it will be played differently than it has in the past. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the MIAA has decided that field hockey will be played 7 vs. 7 instead of the typical 11 vs 11, widening the distance between players on the field this fall.
“Having us play 7 v 7 is going to open up the whole field and brings a totally different style of play to the game,” Doliner said. “The girls have been accustomed to the 11 v 11 and now they are going to have to be quicker in more space. As a coach, I’ll be continuously subbing girls on the fly to get fresh legs into the game.”
In addition to the number of athletes on the field, this fall the MIAA also adopted 4 15-minute quarters compared to the 2 30-minute halves they had been playing. Along with the change, coaches will no longer have timeouts. The season was slated to get underway on October 17th, thus giving Norwood not only a chance to get accustomed to the rule changes, but also an opportunity to see where different athletes may fit into different positions in a wide-open game.  Doliner believes she will not be going with the traditional forward and defensive game but will have things spread out over four lines to cover the field.
On the field, Norwood will be led by quad captains Curran, Mannering, Caroline Davey, and Brianna LeBlanc. While Curran and Mannering will be providing the offensive firepower for the Mustangs, Davey will be anchoring the defense and LeBlanc will bounce back and forth between midfield and forward.
“Caroline has been playing defense for us since her freshman year and starting since she was a sophomore,” Doliner said. “She has great endurance and speed; we are lucky to have her back on defense in a year that will be unlike one we’ve ever had to encounter before. Brianna has worked hard on her skills and although she only scored 1 goal and 2 assists last year, her intangibles on the field don’t show up on the stat sheet. She is a key contributor to our success.”
In addition to the captains, Norwood had a big group of seniors returning to the field this fall. Forward Mary Lee, who was the first one off the bench last year, leads that group. Other seniors, who according to Doliner are a super hard-working group that she is excited to see play, are Kate Rodgers, Grace Sullivan, Kaitlin Gillette, Kate Earle, Julianna O’Neil, and Annie Delaney.
Juniors Maddy Barry and Delaney Gover will patrol the defense side of the field, while Shannon Gover will be in the midfield and Talia Fruci, who has started since her freshman campaign, will be in net for Norwood.  Sophomore’s Meredith cannon (defense) and Abby Lee (forward) will also give the team some much needed depth.
Despite the fact that the sport is going to only 7 players on each side during the game this fall, Doliner and her girls will be prepared.
“As a coach, I have always tried to practice 7 v 7 near the end of the year just it case it comes up in post-season play then we’ll be ready and familiar with it,” the Coach said. “Every year you come into a season with new things to worry about, so it’s really no big deal this season.  We just need to process it during practice an learn to play that way in games.”
This fall it will all be about adaptability and that is what Doliner is hoping to drive home with her squad.
“I feel bad about some of the other sports that got cancelled or had to move their season,” Doliner said. “But you’ve got to work with what you’re given and that’s what I’m trying to get through to the girls.”
Norwood will play nine games on Saturdays and Sundays with back to back home and away games within their pod, which includes Dover-Sherborn, Medfield, Westwood, and Dedham. The Mustangs will face each team twice and Dedham for a third encounter. Although Norwood had a successful 2019 campaign, 2020 is not going to be an easy task; Dover-Sherborn not only won the Division 2 South title, but also took home the State Championship with a 15-1-2 regular season record. Westwood also went 15-1-2 during the regular campaign before falling in the Semi-Finals of the Divisional Tournament and Dedham went 8-6-4.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’re happy to be playing,” Doliner said. “It’s been a long time since some of these girls have been on a field competing. We are lucky to have Marathon Physical Therapy running our strength and conditioning program, so we are in good shape and ready to take on the season.”
In an unprecedented season, Doliner and her team will take things one game and one quarter at a time hoping to see positive results on the field.
“We will face some good competition in our pod, but we will play good field hockey too,” she said. “I am looking forward to some exciting games that will be great opportunities to test our team and see where we stand.”