Prep Field Hockey: Titans find success with new formation, coaches

Go fast. Go hard. And go together.

Those three things are what first-year Poway High field hockey coaches Brittany Parrish and Morgan Re want to see out of their team in every match. And judging by the Titans’ 9-5-1 record, the co-coaches are often getting exactly what they want.

“When we do those things,” Parrish said, “we can accomplish all of our goals. When we go fast, go hard and go together consistently, we get great results and we put up good fights.”

And that’s a huge step, considering the Titans finished with just five wins and missed the playoffs a season ago. They were also shutout 15 times last season. This year Poway already has nine wins, is on pace to make the playoffs and has only been shutout twice in 15 games.

“It has been pretty fun,” said senior defender Taylor Jervis, who earned a lacrosse scholarship to San Diego State. “I think last year it was hard to stay happy because we lost most of our games. So, winning has helped with team chemistry and keeping us upbeat.”

Becoming a more aggressive offensive team has helped turn around the program. Parrish and Re installed a new formation, which has led to a huge increase in scoring opportunities.

Poway scored just 22 goals all of last season. The Titans needed just five matches to reach that total this year and currently have found the back of the net 55 times.

“Last year we played with four in the back and this year we have four forwards,” explained Jervis. “We are pushing the ball up the field more and having a lot more success.”

And that success is coming from all over the place. Thirteen different players have scored at least two goals. Sophomore Lauren Leland leads the team with nine goals, while Isabelle Flud and Erica Novak each have six scores.

“Almost half the team this year has three goals,” said Parrish, who played lacrosse at San Diego State after a stellar career in lacrosse and field hockey at Scripps Ranch. She graduated from Scripps Ranch in 2011. “It is always good to see people get in position to score and convert. It is much better than just depending on one girl.”

The defense has stepped up, too. Sydney Burr, Caylee Vick, Kamryn Richards and Jervis have all played phenomenal on the back line. Midfielders Lauren Whitney, Flud and Natalie Mulhall have also done a nice job. Even the forwards get involved on the defense.

“I think our conditioning has really helped us,” Parrish said. “Our four forwards and four midfielders are constantly getting back to help on defense and they are still able to get the ball back on offense quickly and go hard.”

Jervis said the team worked hard in the offseason to get in shape.

“We all were hoping we would do better,” she said. “We did a lot in the offseason and our coaches really have pushed us this season to be in shape and have stick skills. We also have been focusing on the basics and that is what is helping us win games. We just have to keep doing what we are doing.”

The San Diego Section field hockey power rankings — used to determine playoff seeding — were recently released and the Titans are No. 11 in Division I. That means they currently are on pace for the No. 3 seed in the Division I playoffs, as the top eight teams go to the Open Division.

Poway will try to keep it going Thursday when it opens Palomar League play at Mt. Carmel at 5 p.m. The Titans won just three games in league last season, but are expecting to do better this year after the fast start.

“We have Torrey Pines in our league so it is going to be tough to win a title, but we are really going to push ourselves to win the games we should win and maybe upset a few teams,” Jervis said. “We know teams are underestimating us. It is going to be exciting.”