By Darrell Cuenca
The Virginian-Pilot
Suffolk
Lakeland's field hockey team is one big happy family, according to senior defender Morgan McCaw.
Between coach Tara Worley's summer league, junior varsity and high school play, team chemistry developed easily with familiar faces all around.
'Most of us have grown up together and played together,' McCaw said. 'We started out so young, it's a great feeling to have each and everyone to rely on.'
McCaw said she followed a cousin's footsteps into the sport and joined the Lakeland family as a scorekeeper in the seventh grade.
It was then she got a first glance of what was expected when joining the Cavaliers program, which has won the past nine Southeastern District tournament titles, but has never advanced past the Eastern Region tournament, which begins today at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach.
'She was there with us at every practice and every game,' Worley said. 'She knew what she was getting into before she got into it. She came in well-prepared.'
During McCaw's four years on the varsity, Worley said she has blossomed into a quiet leader.
'I tend to lead by example,' McCaw. 'It comes across more than from telling other players what to do.'
Added Worley: 'She's not really flashy - she doesn't demand attention. But when she says something, the girls listen. And when she does something, the girls pick up.'
McCaw has also made the transition from attacker to defender - a move that came three years ago and suits her selfless personality.
'I used to love to score, but now I like starting the things that lead up to scoring,' McCaw said.
'I like getting the ball to other teammates.'
Worley is quick to praise McCaw's field vision and decision making and adds that maturity has helped McCaw gain poise and confidence in her play.
'She's so consistent,' Worley said. 'She's always good and always improving. Now it feels like I don't have to tell her anything. She'll be the hardest defender I've had to replace.'
And among the close-knit Cavaliers, McCaw also has developed into a big sister for the younger girls to look up to and follow, whether it's assembling the team for in-season team dinners and movie nights or out-of-season pick-up hockey.
'I can relate to the younger ones because I was one of them,' McCaw said. 'I know what it's like to be nervous.'
There's no time for McCaw and her teammates to become preoccupied with the team's recent history in the region tourney - the Cavaliers square off against Ocean Lakes, the Beach District's No. 2 seed, at 1 p.m. today.
'We've won districts and made it to the second game of the region tournament,' McCaw said of her three prior season-ending experiences.
'This year, we want to make it to the final - that's the goal. I think we're solid all around.
'This is our best opportunity.'
Darrell Cuenca, (757) 446-2366,darrell.cuenca@pilotonline
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'I used to love to score, but now I like starting the things that lead up to scoring,' Lakeland's Morgan McCaw says. 'I like getting the ball to other teammates.'
