BEVERLY– The best way to master any sport is to pick it up from a young age and stick with it. Saugus native Sophia Cogliano began playing field hockey while she was in the sixth grade and stuck with the sport through high school. Now she’s leading the field hockey team at Endicott College to one of its better seasons in program history.
Cogliano, a junior forward, has put together a stellar season for the Division III Gulls this fall. In 18 games of action, 17 starts, Cogliano has tallied 21 goals on 105 shots and three assists. The Saugus High product leads the Gulls in goals scored this season, while Lynnfield native Jaylin Grabau’s second with 12. Cogliano also leads the team in points with 45.
“Sophia brings a high level excitement and energy to the field on a daily basis,” Gulls coach Jodi Cipolla said. “She’s always working to improve her game and make herself the best that she can possibly be. She’s fast, physical, and overall super competitive. Whether it’s a small sided game in practice or championship game in the postseason, she’s a relentless competitor.”
Coming into the season, Cogliano’s main goal was to create as many scoring chances as she could from the forward position.
“I wanted to be the very best I could be for the team,” Cogliano said. “I’m a forward so my main job is to create offense and scoring opportunities. I knew that was my job coming into the season. I wanted to maintain a positive attitude and try my hardest.”
At Saugus, Cogliano was a four-year varsity player for coach Barbara Guarente and the Sachems. She recalls being part of a tight-knit group in her four years wearing the red and white Sachems uniform.
“I remember playing with the same group of girls all the way until our senior year,” Cogliano said. “We had a very close-knit team. We never made the state tournament but my senior year we came one win away from going to states. We tied our last game and that kept us out.”
Perhaps the sour taste of falling one win short of reaching the state tournament has fueled Cogliano to excel on the field at Endicott. The forward has found the back of the net in 13 of Endicott’s 18 games this season while leading the Gulls to a 15-3 record.
She became the fifth player in program history to reach the 100-point mark when she scored twice in Endicott’s 5-1 win over Western New England on October 21.
“Sophia has had the amount of success that she has had because of her positive attitude and her work ethic,” Cipolla said. “Hard work is a habit for her and she works hard every single day to make herself and her team better.”
The key to the team’s success this fall, Cogliano said, is the group’s ability to communicate effectively while having fun on the field.
“Everybody’s getting along so well,” Cogliano said. “Our communication has been the most important thing. We communicate very well on and off the field. We’ve enjoyed coming to practice and we make field hockey fun. It’s a good environment and everyone tries hard.
“We wanted to make sure everyone on the team was getting along and having fun,” Cogliano added. “That carries over into our play. Of the three years I’ve been here this has been my favorite year.”
From an individual standpoint, Cogliano credited Cipolla, who has been at the helm of the program since 2007, for paving the way to her success this season. When Cogliano has found herself in need of extra work after practice, Cipolla has always lended a hand.
“Coach Cipolla’s a great coach and she’s the reason we’re doing so well this season,” Cogliano said. “She works with me one-on-one after practices. We both know what my strong suits are. We’ve worked on my shooting this season and I give her all the credit for that.”
At Endicott, Cogliano has also excelled in the classroom. She recently switched majors from psychology to nursing and has mastered the challenge of balancing academics and sports in the process.
“It’s difficult but I find it easier to balance field hockey and school because it allows me to handle my schedule and be accountable,” Cogliano said. “Balancing nursing and field hockey, to me, makes things easier.”
With the regular season winding to a close, the Gulls have placed themselves in a good position to make a run in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, which begins next week. Endicott has won 10 of its 11 CCC contests this fall, and is currently in a close race for first place in the conference with University of New England. The Gulls have split in their two games against UNE.
“We’re in a fight with UNE to get that top seed,” Cogliano said. “We beat them once and they beat us once so now the tiebreaker is goals against. We’ll try our best to not let any goals in because that’s what it comes down to. We just have to keep the fight going.”
The Gulls end the regular season on Friday when they visit Roger Williams.