Having only graduated three players since last season, the Cinnaminson girls’ field hockey team has been able to continue their success from last fall when the team went 15-5.   

With a current 12-2 record and a recent win against Burlington Township, junior Caitlin Connolly describes how they continue to strengthen their skills every day.

“At practice the next day we will work on what we did wrong or what we thought we did wrong,” Connolly said. “After that, in practice the next day, we work on the changes that we made.” 

The goal for all players and their head coach, Sara Skvir, is to make it to the playoffs. The Pirates haven’t had a losing season since 2013, and the field hockey team wants to maintain their record. 

“Our in-town program is a good program, our middle school program is pretty solid as well,” Skvir said. “So I think they’re getting a good base and foundation through other teams and the township, which helps us as a high school team to maintain that winning record.”

Despite focusing on keeping up their record, the team always ensures to make the environment welcoming and fun. According to Skvir, there’s a lot of camaraderie among the girls. 

“We were going to go into overtime unless we scored one more point, and we won because at the last minute, we had no time left and in the corner Natalie Surma shot it right into the goal,” Skvir said. “We were all super excited and we all ran and hugged her.”

With a small town like Cinnaminson, most of the girls have been playing together since they were young, with the many clinics and field hockey teams offered for kids. As a result, Connolly expressed her sadness about losing the seniors that she has been close to for a long time. 

“It’s definitely going to be tough because I’ve grown up playing field hockey with them,“ Connolly said. “And in middle school when they went into their freshman year and we didn’t have them for eighth grade, it was sad, but we were okay because I knew that I was going to have more opportunities to play with them in high school, but not anymore.”

As a graduating senior on the team, Sam Magin describes how proud she is of the growth she has witnessed from her team.

“There’s always some kind of reverse chip, or a skill that you don’t see all the time,” Magin said. “Some kind of save, some kind of block, there’s always just a day where a player will make themselves shine above everyone else.”

Magin recognizes that this is her last season with the team and is sad that this is her final time playing for CHS.

“It’s my last gauntlet, it’s my last first home game,“ Magin said. “But the more I think about it like that, the more it helps me realize how I’m letting it slip away.” 

Although next season will be a rebuilding season with the upcoming graduation of nine seniors, Coach Skvir said there has been an influx of new players this season, which has helped expand the team and will also aid in the transition to next season.  

“I guess actually the biggest difference is that I have 11 freshmen this year so it’s really nice to have them fill out the roster,” Skvir said.

Finishing their season at the top of their division, the girls will play Cumberland in the first round of playoffs on Monday.