The Natick Field Hockey team has improved every year under Head Coach Meghan Pini.

According to a previous article from Local Town Pages written by Ken Hamwey, Pini’s first season as coach of the Redhawks ended at 6-7-5 with a first-round playoff exit, and last year the Redhawks jumped to 11-4-3, a No. 12 power ranking, and their third straight state tournament berth. 

Ask Pini what’s behind that climb, though, and she won’t point to X’s and O’s first.

“A positive team culture is the most important thing,” Pini said. “If the athletes don’t feel supported and safe, then they will never feel comfortable to be themselves and take risks. We want the athletes to feel connected to the community we have built and cared for. I strongly believe if this happens then the results will come.”

Pini’s connection to Natick goes back long before she ever coached there. A physical education teacher at Natick’s Kennedy Middle School, she grew up in town and found the sport almost by accident. 

“I always had a love of sports and fitness,” she said. “I grew up playing all the sports I could and found field hockey in fifth grade and loved it instantly. I was so grateful when I was able to join the Natick coaching staff as one of the assistant coaches in 2021. I love the Natick community, especially the sports community.”

Pini doesn’t run the program alone, and she’s quick to credit the staff around her, Erin Quirk, Lizzie Mazzola, and Shelley Why, for shaping its foundation. 

“I feel very grateful for my coaching staff and the unit we are,” she said. “We share very similar values, one being: people first, athletes second.” 

That mindset extends to how the staff frames outcomes on the scoreboard. “We strongly believe in ‘sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.’ If we haven’t won, then it is an opportunity to learn and grow.”

You can see the direct correlation between Pini’s words and the track record of the team since her arrival. The continuous improvement and the momentum gained from last season is exactly what Pini wants her current group to carry forward into this year. 

“We had a very successful regular season last year,” she explained. “We had an incredible group of upperclassmen leading the way on and off the field. It is such a positive and connected group of athletes and that shows on the field.”

Much of that player-to-player connection, Pini said, runs through this year’s senior leadership. The team’s four captains, Ally Flynn, Jo Flynn, Caylee Lynch, and Ella Tarka, are setting the tone for the rest of the roster. 

“We have four incredible leaders as our senior captains this year,” Pini said. “They are all selfless, approachable, dependable young women that have already done an amazing job leading the team and setting the tone of what Natick Field Hockey is all about.” 

Pini also was not shy to emphasize the importance of the impact all the upperclassmen make on the team. “The coaching staff is very grateful for this group of seniors and the way they are committed to the mission of the team and how inclusive they have been with everyone on the team. They have helped the team grow close so quickly.’’

Looking at this season, of course talent matters, but it isn’t what Pini and her staff prioritize when evaluating who fits the program they’ve built. 

“Talent is important, but our coaching staff always is looking for athletes that have positive attitudes, respectful, and committed to the team,” she said. “We appreciate athletes that are hard-working, coachable, and have grit. We are hoping to build a team that is one solid unit that trusts and supports each other on and off the field.”

That standard is written into the program itself this season, distilled into four words the team chose together. 

“We have team expectations but as a team we have chosen four core values that will help guide us this season,” Pini stated. “Commitment, respect, unity, and trust are the guiding principles for our team this year. We hope we can use these values to help us stay connected and a supportive unit.”

The Redhawks open up the October slate with matchups against Hopkinton on Oct. 2, Milton on Oct. 5 and Framingham on Oct. 7.