The Salisbury High School field hockey team has been short on numbers the last couple of seasons under head coach Jane Brennan. Along with playing in a challenging and competitive Colonial League, the Falcons have not been able to overcome the depth and the experience that other teams have.

But Brennan has been able to get her team out competing more often in the offseason and the extra experience that players will gain from that will help in all facets of the game. Salisbury finished the 2021 season at 4-13 overall and will look to continue to improve upon that mark during the fall 2022 season.

“I think this team has a lot of athleticism and strong communication within each other,” said Brennan. “Playing indoor winter league and summer league together has allowed us to work as a team in the offseason. The strong team dynamic is solid, and we are looking forward to making a make in the league.”

Salisbury graduated a strong senior class last year, which included Gweneth Schlack, Jillian Stoekel, Margaret Helsel, Maya Darawsheh, Naiya Schankowitz and Sophia Ascani.

The group of returning players that Brennan will be dependent upon for leadership and their on-field skills include Ella DeFazio, Elise Palazzo, Kendall Shaffer, Olivia Ringholm, Chandler Straub and Bailee Neitz. Brennan will also be relying on a duo of key newcomers to contribute, which includes Gwyn DeFazio and Kendra Morgan.

There are a couple of things with this year’s squad that Brennan says will take some time to work on, including a new formation on the field and playing experience for the younger players on the roster.

“We have been developing a new field formation that may take a bit of time to perfect,” Brennan said. “We also have a few younger players (freshmen) that need the experience to hone in on their ability to find the back of the cage.

“Our goal is to play hard and be in every game,” said Brennan. “We want to make a run at districts. I think we have a team that can do that.”