Bruton field hockey loaded with experience

Bruton's field hockey team reached the Class 4A regional semifinals last season under coach Joe Dougherty.

By John Harvey

HarveySports757@yahoo.com

                       

YORK – Bruton High’s field hockey team finished one win shy of last season’s ultimate goal, a berth in the Class 4A state tournament.

With seven key contributors returning from a team that lost to eventual champion Chancellor in the regional semifinals, coach Joe Dougherty expects this team to be back in the postseason mix again in 2014.

“All of these seniors have many years of playing within the system,” Dougherty said. “We will be competitive, but we lost four very important players and will have to work to fill the holes. Only time will tell.”

Kayla Copeman scored 19 goals for Bruton.

Forward Kayla Copeman and defender Taylor Everette, a pair of all-state performers a year ago, headline this year’s roster.

Copeman scored 19 goals and produced 32 assists last season to lead the Panthers. The senior has great speed and knows how to finish in the circle.

Everette was the centerpiece of a Bruton defense that was one of the best in the Bay Rivers District last season. The senior always draws the opposition’s top offensive threat and more often than not, keeps them off the scoreboard.

Offense should not be a problem, as the Panthers have three players capable of scoring 20 goals a season.

Summer Zacharias tallied 19 goals for the Panthers in 2013.

Summer Zacharias returns for her fourth season with the program and was an all-conference and all-region selection last year. The senior has soft hands around the net and especially affective in penalty corner situations.

Da’Sha Hill is another talented player with the ball on her stick. The senior has great speed and knows how to maneuver her way around defenders. She isn’t afraid to get in the dirty areas and chip home rebounds in front of the cage.

Shaylea Burket is another four-year varsity performer at Bruton. The senior scored eight goals and four assists and should be a factor in the midfield.

Kaela Frazier and Hannah Pauley return for their third season with the program. Frazier earned conference and regional honors last season and plays a solid, two-way game. Pauley scored five goals and seven assists last year and has the ability to reach double-digits in goals.

Dougherty has also been pleased with the progress of several of his younger players eager to make their mark on varsity.

Junior Tori McCurdy has looked sharp in the midfield and has fit in nicely alongside the experienced players. Brianna Smith, another junior, is a hard-nosed defender that understands her assignments. Maysen Elliott will assume the goaltending duties and has great instincts in the cage.

“We have a couple of players jumping into some key spots,” Dougherty said. “Their ability to grow quickly will be tested early in our season.”

Experience and talent are two things coaches can’t teach. Dougherty has both with this Bruton club, and if the younger players come along quickly, it could be a memorable year.

‘We have set high goals for ourselves,” he said. “We need to take it one practice at a time and transfer what we do correctly into game made. The leadership is high on this team. We need to be cohesive and execute our opportunities.”

Contact me at HarveySports757@yahoo.com or @HarveySports757 via Twitter.