Jessica Zukosky Returning To Coach Southampton Field Hockey

Jessica Zukosky is back for a third time as head coach of the Southampton field hockey team.

Starting her coaching career under the legendary Chris Holden in 1999, the year the Mariners won a state championship, Zukosky and Holden helped lead much of the program’s success in the following years. After having her second daughter, Zukosky stopped coaching around 2005, but returned in 2013. When her two daughters, Taylor and Emily, started to play varsity sports, Zukosky stepped down once again, paving the way for former player Jackie Trelease, formerly Rattler, to take over the program. Trelease stepped down as head coach following last season to spend more time with her family that now includes young children.

Zukosky is excited to be back and stopped short in stating that it’s a fresh new start for the program.

“We have a very strong, large junior class with pretty much just about every other player returning from last season,” she said.

That junior class includes eight players returning from last season and includes midfielder-forward Annabella Arnold, her sister defense-midfield Mia Arnold, defender Marin Gilmartin, midfielder Mya Halsey, forward Selena Morales, defender Cassidy Phillips, midfield-forward Emma Suhr and midfielder-defender and returning All-Division player Katie Terry.

Maggie Glanz is the team’s only sophomore, and will play midfield-forward, while Carly Kreymborg, who earned Division II Rookie of the Years honors as an eighth-grader last season, will anchor the midfield for the Mariners this season. Neveahya Bell (goalie) and Aymyri Wright (midfield-forward) are also freshmen and Malu Garcia (forward) and Keira Squires (midfield-defense) are a pair of eighth-graders who Zukosky said should get ample playing time.

The team’s two lone seniors are Emma Gaeckle and Samantha Gutierrez. Gaeckle got some starts in goal last season, but this will be her first full year of being the team’s starting goalie. Gutierrez will play forward.

Southampton is the smallest Class B school in Division II this season. It starts the season on Thursday, August 31, at Harborfields at 4:30 p.m. before hosting Bayport-Blue Point at 4 p.m. on September 6.

“I want us to play our style and develop a cleaner style, as these kids have all gotten a year older from last year,” Zukosky said. “I want them continuing to develop. With such a large junior class, I think we have some great athletes. We’re going to take it game by game and look at growth in each game. Losing someone like a Jackie Thulen, who was a sweeper and a vocal and important part of defense, is something that these girls are going to have create on their own and have a responsibility on the field to work with each other. I think the future is bright for these girls. I think we’re putting the building blocks in place to improve every single time we go out there.”