After the Falcons broke out with 17 wins in 2016, the team is now focused on establishing itself as one of the region’s best teams.
Burlington Township High School field hockey is ready to prove it belongs in the upper echelon of the sport in South Jersey.
The Falcons had a breakout season in 2016, winning 17 games and advancing all the way to the Central Jersey Group III championship game before losing to division rival Moorestown High School.
This year, Burlington Township wants to make further strides forward. One way the team plans to do that is with a harder non-conference schedule. The Falcons will be playing larger and tougher schools this season in its non-conference games, including Olympic Conference schools Cherokee and Seneca high schools.
“We had a lot of easier games last year,” head coach Stephanie Fuchilla said. “That’s great for confidence, but it’s better to win the harder games.”
Burlington Township hopes to use the tough non-conference games as preparation for the postseason. Last year, the Falcons stormed through most of their schedule, but were unable to get past Moorestown, going 0–2–1 against the Quakers. Burlington Township lost only one other game the entire season.
Senior Gracyn Banks said the Falcons are embracing this season’s more challenging schedule.
“We definitely hope to win a lot, just like we did last year, but our schedule is a lot harder,” Banks said. “So even if we don’t win as many games, it’s not a loss because we are challenging ourselves and playing a lot harder teams this year.”
Burlington Township’s strength last year was its defense, and the Falcons retain all but one of its defensive starters from 2016. The Falcons shut out their opponent 12 times last year and only allowed two or more goals in a game three times.
With the defense pretty much set, Fuchilla has focused mainly on improving the team’s offense in preseason. Burlington Township lost most of its forward line to graduation, and Fuchilla wants to see the Falcons score more goals and take the pressure off the defense in 2017.
“It’s really nice to know that our defense is pretty much the same and it’s nice to be able to rely on them,” Fuchilla said. “We just need to not rely on them so much.”
Senior Katelyn Osterlind said a big focus in the preseason has been working more as a unit on both sides of the ball.
“I think our defense is still pretty strong. I also think our midfield is strong,” she said. “We’re just learning to work together more and I think it’s coming together well.”
Banks feels this year’s team was tighter in the early part of the preseason compared to previous years. She hopes it will make a difference as the season goes on.
“As a team, we’re more unified,” Banks said. “We’re more playing as a team rather than individuals. We’ve really bonded together and that’s how you win games.”
There is a lot of excitement revolving around the Burlington Township field hockey program as the 2017 season kicks off. After coming one win short of a sectional championship last year, the Falcons believe they have the talent to get over the hump this year.
“We know that we are capable of doing so well,” Banks said. “We feel like we’re going to have a season similar to last year and maybe even better.”
UPDATE: The Falcons were undefeated entering their Sept. 15 game against Moorestown High School. Burlington Twp. won its first three games by a combined scored of 10–2.
