As the fall season continues, the Wayland High School girls field hockey team must battle both other teams, and adapt to the changes within its own team. The team has welcomed head coach Sarah Woodside, assistant coach Cara Chase and junior varsity (JV) coach Heather Russo.

Woodside is a long-standing coach in Wayland – she coached Wayland Middle School field hockey coach for eight years, along with being the varsity softball coach last year. After watching the beginning of athletes’ field hockey journeys, she felt it was only fitting to see them graduate as well.

“For me, coming up to the high school and working with all my former middle school players, as well as just getting to move up a level was a driving factor for my decision to coach at the high school,” Woodside said. “I really enjoyed my time as the varsity softball coach last spring and I thought coming back, or coming up to the high school for field hockey, would be even more rewarding because I’ll have those same kids that I did five or six years ago.”

Field hockey is not Woodside’s only specialty. She played softball in her collegiate years, and has coached field hockey, softball and basketball in Wayland. Graduating from Lasell University, she majored in psychology and minored in forensics and criminal justice. She eventually went on to get her masters degree in forensic criminology and criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

“I used to work as a mental health clinician for adolescents,” Woodside said. “I left that job because I had my first child. I wanted to spend my time with him, and that’s how I got into coaching. My first coaching gig in Wayland was 10 years ago for junior varsity softball. They knew I also played field hockey which is how I got connected with the middle school team.”

Along with Woodside, Chase and Russo have been working in collaboration to bring the field hockey team to the next level. Russo is in charge of the JV team and works with players to prepare them for a higher level of playing.

“A typical practice starts with warm ups,” Russo said. “We do two laps, dynamic stretches and passes, then we move on to drills. We do scrimmages and almost always end with a fun game.”

The coaches have unanimously advocated for more practice time on the turf, and feel that skills improve quicker when players practice where they play. On top of that, they feel that increasing youth involvement is a priority for continuing to allow the program to flourish. While the youth program is relatively new, there are several different youth clinics in Wayland for young athletes to learn the skills of field hockey.

“Coach Sarah, Coach Chase and I would love to continue increasing interest in field hockey for the younger students,” Russo said. “I am really enjoying this new opportunity and all the girls work so hard every day. It’s very rewarding to watch.”

As the team and coaches get their footing with these new changes, the coaches have seen players grow both as individuals and as a team. Woodside wanted to honor the drills and techniques the team had grown accustomed to with past coach Shelly Fraiser, while also finding ways to begin making changes for the better. Fraiser had coached the team for 23 years, and left an impact on both the program and her athletes.

“I think with the changes that we’ve made, we’ve been able to see improvement on the field,” Woodside said. “I really think Wayland field hockey is coming up strong and I’m excited to continue to see the changes throughout the upcoming years and how I expect this program to grow.”

Woodside acknowledged that there would be an adjustment with switching coaches and drills, but she emphasized the development she was seeing in each player.

“We have a really great group of girls who work hard,” Woodside said. “Once everything starts to click, I think we’re just gonna be unstoppable. I’m excited to be here, especially for the seniors who I coached when they were in seventh grade–I’m just really happy to be here for their final year.”