BY JULIET KELLY
The field hockey team has rolled to a 17-4 record and many other accomplishments, including making it to the Greater Middlesex County Tournament Finals, finishing first in the GMC Red Division, and setting school records.
The team won their quarterfinals 8-0 against North Plainfield and semifinals 4-1 against Metuchen to make it to the GMC Finals. “These wins just illustrate how much we’ve improved the past few years, and it feels really great to make it to the Finals,” said Jamie Hazel.
The Knights won the Red Division regular season title, earning the top seed in the tournament. “The team’s strengths are the bonds we have with each other and also our ability to communicate on and off the field,” said Conolly. “We are able to communicate well off the field, which translates to on the field and being able to move well knowing where our teammates are.”
The team features four captains, Jamie Hazel, Kyra Vella, Addison Albrecht, and Laila Vaughan. “[The Captains]chave been really supportive of everyone and have done a great job at pointing out things we need to fix in our game in order to grow as a team,” said Daniella Young.
Senior and GMC Player of the Year Laila Vaughan became the first field hockey player in school history to reach 100 career goals. “In the moment, I felt extremely proud of myself because I felt like all the hard work I’ve done throughout my career was paying off,” said Vaughan.
This year’s field hockey team has stood out through hard work and dedication. The girls have worked hard to make it to the GMCs and ended with a great record. “This season our team did a lot of off-field work like bonding and really made sure that we were able to connect on and off the field,” said Hazel. “Without the connections, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did.”
Some of the team’s recent successes include a 9-4 victory against Red Bank and a 6-1 win over Colts Neck. “As a goalie, winning that game 9–4 felt incredible. Seeing my teammates score and watching our defense stay strong the whole game was such a rewarding moment,” said senior Kaelyn Ritz. “It showed how much we’ve grown as a team and how all the hours we’ve put in at practice paid off.”
The team plays at home against Montclair at 10 am Thursday for the second round of States. Be there to keep up the energy for the Old Bridge field hockey team. “Every player brings something important, strong defense, quick offense, and great communication,” said Ritz. “We play as one unit, not as individuals, and that’s what makes us hard to beat.”
Posted on 11/6/25
Photos by McKaila MacArthur and Olivia Van Deursen
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