Winthrop field hockey coach Sharon Coulton hardly needed an adjustment period.
Coulton, after all, previously coached the Ramblers — winning Class C state titles in 1988 and 1989, Furthermore, she served as an assistant coach prior to this season. Coulton has the Ramblers off to a 3-0 start during which they’ve outscored opponents 24-0, including Wednesday’s 8-0 win over Oak Hill.
“(I’m impressed) not just with the first couple of games, but for the summer and preseason,” she said. “I’ve been very impressed with how our younger players have come along. We had quite a few seniors last year and a very limited season. Our juniors, which is our largest group… I would have expected them to be a little bit behind. But they are hard workers, been motivated and they’re smart, they’re smart players. I’m just very pleased.”
Winthrop doesn’t have large numbers, as it carries 16 players, but it doesn’t lack talent. Coulton credited the team’s seniors, including Maddie Perkins, Elle Folsom, Autumn Gerry and Emma Shuman.
“(Perkins) is just phenomenal in the field,” Coulton said. “She can play offense, defense, flies on corners. She’s just so strong and so steady, ever since she was a freshman. I can’t say enough about Maddie, both her play on the field and her leadership.”
Winthrop is also getting production from Lauryn Wood, who scored five goals for the Ramblers in a 10-0 win over Lisbon on Sept. 3.
“Lauryn is a great example of a person who came out this season ready to play,” Coulton said. “She’s really stepped up (this season), and she’s not the only one. We took a lot of shots against Lisbon, and we’ve really been focusing in practices on getting the goalie on one side (of the goal), sending the ball over to the other side. Lauryn plays on the left side, and she has been working on doing those tip-ins, which several of her goals were. It’s just a delight to watch these kids play.”
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