Editor’s update: After this story was posted, the Caper Tiger girls improved to 10-2 with a 5-0 win over Holy Spirit.
ERMA — Lower Cape May Regional High School’s field hockey team has been prospering this season under co-coaches Joann McLaughlin and Maddie Craig. The two LCMR graduates bring a unique blend of experience, having played together for the Caper Tigers back in the day.
Under Craig and McLaughlin, there has been a major turnaround.
After beating Cedar Creek 1-0 on Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, the girls were sporting a 9-2 record.
Consider that in the past four years, the team hasn’t had a winning season, going 6-7-1 last year, 6-8-2 in 2024, 6-7-4 in 2023 and 3-8-3 in 2022.
The last time the team was a strong force in the Cape-Atlantic League was 2021, when the Caper Tigers went 15-3.
In the first three games of the season, the team lost first to Egg Harbor Township, 2-0, beat Mainland Regional 4-1 then lost to Cedar Creek 2-1. But the team has reeled off eight straight wins since then, including beating EHT 3-1 and avenging their loss to Cedar Creek with that lone goal by Madi Sharp.
The Caper Tigers dominated possession and spent about 80 percent of the game in the Pirates’ end of the field, but could’t get a second goal. Fortunately, Sharp’s tally was the only one they needed.
The Caper Tigers and EHT Eagles (6-2-1) have the same winning percentage in the CAL, but LCMR can secure the National Division if they beat Holy Spirit on Tuesday, after the Cape May Star and Wave went to press. (They beat the Spartans 5-0 earlier this season and haven’t won the division in 15 years, according to the coaches.)
Communication key
Craig said this team is a cohesive unit that has been playing together, many of them since she was their seventh-grade coach.
The players’ communication sets them apart.
“If you’re looking at our team, you wouldn’t know who the juniors and seniors are. They (upperclassmen) set this precedent of how to communicate and talk to each other. They don’t get frustrated with one another,” Craig said. “There is a mentality that we are all one team. That’s how our juniors and seniors have been showing their leadership.”
Craig is a 2011 grad who played right wing and McLaughlin, a 2010 grad, played midfield and then goalie. When they were players, their coach was all about a winning mentality, but that’s not how they’re coaching it.
When they started this season, their attitude “wasn’t really that we were here to win. It was, ‘let’s play hockey together.’ That was what set us up for success,” Craig said.
“Everybody treats each other and holds each other accountable so they are at the same bar and their mentality is ‘how can I help my teammate?’”
“When Maddie and I took over this program in late July, early August, (the goal) was just for us to get better every single day,” McLaughlin said. “The seniors really did a really good job building this winning mentality.
“The last few seasons have definitely been hard. Obviously, we didn’t have many winning seasons the last few years and I think it could have been really easy for them to give up and quit when they faced adversity,” she added. “Instead they stuck together and that’s definitely what’s making them successful now.”
Not the norm
Having dual head coaches isn’t the norm in the CAL, but it’s working for the Caper Tigers.
“This has been my favorite coaching season because of our relationship and we demonstrate how we want our girls to talk to each other,” Craig said, “That’s how we model that.”
“It’s been the best. I love coaching with Maddie,” McLaughlin said. “We grew up playing together. We went to a lot of camps together growing up, so now being able to coach together as co-head coaches has been fun. When they were looking for a head coach, they weren’t able to find one. We were both like, ‘we’ll do this, but we’re only doing it together.’”
“She played collegiate lacrosse and has the lacrosse brain and I was field hockey,” Craig said. “We just have different strengths and we blend together perfectly.” (McLaughlin also coaches the girls lacrosse team at LCMR.)
The team and the win
The Caper Tigers’ front line is Greta Shepanski, Chloe Samaniego and Marla Groetsch. In the midfield is Ava Samaniego. Sharp is the center mid and Hailey Serra and Brooke Robinson are the defensive mids. The team’s left and right backs are Nelle Verity and Liz McHugh, the sweeper is Oleksa Domanowski and Taylor Steitler is in goal.
“I’m really proud of Taylor,” McLaughlin said of their goalie. “I think she’s really stepped up into a leadership role. She’s always been a good goaltender and has worked really hard, but I think using her voice and being a leader in the defensive side of the field has been really beneficial to all of us.”
“Our defenders are really strong,” she added, noting McHugh and Robinson “are such gritty players and work extremely hard to just do whatever they can to get the ball out or not even let the ball get to the circle.”
Greta Shepanski leads the team in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists, but Sharp is right behind with 6 and 3, respectively. Chloe Samaniego, Addison Bada and Groetsch have 3 goals each, Ava Samaniego and Elsa Shepanski 2 each and Robinson has one.
“I think that’s what really sets us apart is we’re definitely not a one-woman team or one-woman offense. Everybody really works together and our goal at the end of the day is to put the ball in the back of the net,” McLaughlin said. “Whoever has the opportunity, whoever is there, we expect them to do it.”
Sharp said scoring the team’s only and winning goal Friday felt good, especially because she got carded in the game. “I was frustrated over that, but it felt good that I got it in,” she said. Sharp is also happy with the team’s performance this season.
“I’m feeling really good, especially because this is my senior year. We finally have a winning record, which we haven’t in the past few years,” she said.
Fellow senior Greta Shepanski also is pleased with the team’s success.
“It’s amazing. I’m so happy. After four years of not being the best team, it’s really awesome to finally all come together as a unit and just play the way that we’ve been playing,” Shepanski said.
“I think that just everybody here wants it so bad. We just have such a great connection and we’re such a good team,” she added. “We just love each other on and off the field and everybody loves to be here. We all love coming to practice and we work hard and those are the important things.”
“We keep getting better and better and we have so much season left,” Shepanski said. “And I think that we’re just going to start pulling it off more and more and just keep continuing to be successful.”
After the Holy Spirit game, the girls are at Oakcrest on Thursday, Oct. 8.
By DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave
