Coming into this season, Haddonfield field hockey hadn’t advanced past the second round of the previous three sectional tournaments in which it played.
This season, the Bulldawgs didn’t just advance past the second round, it got a whole lot further.
Haddonfield won its first sectional championship in field hockey since 2011, winning the Central Jersey Group I championship with a 3–0 win over Haddon Township on Nov. 5. The team then advanced all the way to the Group I state championship game before it lost to Shore Regional, 3–0, on Nov. 14.
It was a very successful season for the Bulldawgs from start to finish. The team steamrolled most of the opposition in the regular season, finishing with a record of 17–1–1. The only games it did not win were against West Deptford.
Head coach Lindsay Kocher said this year’s team came into the season with a chip on its shoulder after losing in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Central Jersey Group I playoffs in penalty strokes against Maple Shade.
“I think after losing in sudden death strokes in the first playoff game against Maple Shade, the returners were left with a bad taste in their mouth,” Kocher said.
Senior Ana Buzzerd said the Bulldawgs have always been a very talented club since she joined the team in 2012. She felt the team just had to execute better.
“We’ve also known our team had it in us to become successful,” Buzzerd said.
Junior Caroline Bickel said this year’s team was tighter than in years past. She credited Buzzerd and fellow senior captain Suzie Clark for bringing the team together.
“Our bond was really close this year,” Bickel said. “I feel like the team really got along and everything seemed to click.”
A big step forward for Haddonfield came in the second game of the season against Collingswood, the two-time defending Central Jersey Group I champions. The Bulldawgs defeated the Panthers, 3–2, giving them a huge boost of confidence moving forward.
“That set the tone for the rest of the season,” Buzzerd said. “We knew we could really make an impression.”
“We knew we were good,” said junior Meghan Smart, the Bulldawgs’ leading scorer for the 2015 season. “We had that confidence in us. We had setbacks last year (and) we were unsure if we were good enough.”
The sectional championship was the first for all of the players on the team. It was extra special for Clark and Buzzerd, who entered their final season having not won a title.
“Everything we worked for all came into place,” Buzzerd said.
“It was so nice to finish our high school career with a sectional title and making it to the state championship,” Clark said.
The Bulldawgs earned a spot in the Group I state championship game after defeating South Jersey Group I champion Woodstown, 4–1, in the state semifinals. It was the first time Haddonfield had played for a state championship since 2006.
“Coach had never made it to the state championship, so it was really inspiring to know we’ve made it that far,” Clark said.
Haddonfield lost to North Jersey champion Shore Regional, 3–0, in the Group I title game. The game was closer than the score indicated, with both teams registering 19 shots and six penalty corners. The penalty corners were the difference, as Shore scored all three of its goals off corners.
Kocher said she was proud of the way her team played in the final game.
“I think they played a full 60 minutes,” Kocher said. “They went into the game and they followed through with the game plan.”
Smart said the team was disappointed right after the loss. However, she’s proud of how well the team banded together and played in the final game.
“No one likes losing,” Smart said. “In the moment, I was disappointed. But I knew we worked together as a team and we did as much as we could.”
The 2016 season will mark 25 years since Haddonfield last won a state championship in 1991. Smart and Bickel won’t make predictions about how far they will get next year. However, with most of the starting lineup returning, they believe next year’s team
can be just as good as this year’s was.
“We’ve been there now and we’ll want to be back,” Bickel said.
