It wasn’t the head coaching position she originally sought, but new Wakefield field hockey coach Jill Clatcherty has certainly embraced the uphill battle she now faces.
Before accepting a position with the Warriors, Clatcherty had spent four years as an assistant field hockey coach at nearby T.C. Williams High School. And with Titans head coach Bob Eavenson set to resign last spring, Clatcherty hoped to inherit the program that had been a standard bearer for the rest of the northern region, churning out consistent winners and rosters with 60 girls.
But once William Heresniak, T.C. Williams’ then-JV coach, was tabbed over her, Clatcherty switched course, accepting the same head coach position at Wakefield. She soon realized the program she took over wasn’t just rebuilding, it had almost never been built.
“They’ve always been kind of starting from scratch every year,” Clatcherty said before her team’s 1-0 loss to West Potomac Monday. “They haven’t had enough kids to field a JV team in a long time, so we’re really starting from the ground up now and trying to have some consistency and higher expectations.”
To be exact, the Warriors have had three coaches in four years, a roster just barely large enough to field a varsity squad, and feature many players in their first or second years ever playing the sport of field hockey.
The current team lacked extensive skill work, but with little to no experience during freshman or sophomore year, who could blame them?
“It’s tough to get wins on the varsity level when you’re going against other girls who are juniors who’ve been playing for two or three years,” Clatchery said.
But even though the team currently sports a 0-6 record, there have been pleasant signs of improvement. Monday’s 1-0 loss was the second consecutive close call for Wakefield after lost to Hayfield in overtime last weekend.
Clatcherty has her team focused on perfecting the basics before thinking about any long-term goals. The gains haven’t had an effect on the win column just yet, but Wakefield players know their new coach is leading them in the right direction.
“Last year we didn’t really have leadership in the coaching position and this year there’s a big difference,” senior goalie Laura Martir said. “We’re really getting pushed hard to the maximum.”
Considering the improvement she has seen in just one month, Clatcherty isn’t too worried about when that pesky first win will come. She is more focused on getting even more girls out for the team.
In that regard, Clatcherty and her current squad have already made an impact that could prove more worthwhile down the road than any wins in the near future would.
“Field hockey wasn’t known at our school, and now it’s getting around and we’re getting more girls,” senior midfielder Evelyn Reyes said. “I just think if it continues this way, we’ll definitely get to our goal eventually.”