By Meghan Foley
Hometown Weekly
While the players of the Rockets’ field hockey team are starting their first games of the season, coaches Tessa Taylor and Margaret Kelly just wrapped up their own time on the field last month. Both earned spots in their respective age brackets in the Masters World Cup, with Taylor travelling to the Netherlands and Kelly to Belgium to compete with teams from around the world.
This was not the first tournament for either coach, this summer was Taylor’s third and Kelly’s fifth time participating.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of various US Masters teams for the last 10 years,” said Assistant Coach Kelly, speaking about the opportunities it’s given her to play in Australia, Spain, South Africa, and New Zealand prior to Belgium.
“Through the years, the US presence has expanded dramatically at the World Cup. This year we had 15 mens and womens teams represented across the age groups—0–35s and 0–65s.”
In Taylor’s group, the U.S. came in 12th place of 14 teams, while Kelly’s took 9th of 16. However, both teams had particularly impressive performances against Australia, who won in both of their brackets. In Taylor’s, Australia had their biggest wins over Ireland (5–0), South Africa (5–0), and Wales (6–0). Ireland earned 5th place, South Africa 7th, and Wales 10th, but the 12th-place United States held Australia to just 3–0. Similarly, the United States team Kelly played on lost only 2–0 to Australia, who defeated 8th-place Scotland 5–1 and 3rd-place England 4–1.
“The match against Australia was intense,” said Taylor. “They are always one of the stronger competitors. Our goalies were outstanding in that match and they were the key to only giving up three goals. Given the lack of time we have together as a team prior to the tournament, this team really came together and played well from the start. A handful of us had played together in Argentina for the PanAmerican games in 2023 and that definitely helped. We all played our game, hustled and worked together every minute of those matches.”
Kelly explained: “The challenge has been and remains the size of our country for our training and preparation. This roster of players was scattered across 10 states from Florida to Maine, Georgia to Illinois, Texas to California. Naturally, it takes us a game or two to really figure out how we work together. This time, for instance, we lost in the pool play to Germany by a goal, but later in cross-overs, we beat them 3–0. We had a tough pool draw—Our first game was against Australia—we lost 2–0, but we were in it. They were the ultimate gold winner. It’s great to know we are competitive.”
Taylor also spoke about the challenge of playing on a national team: “The preparation is the hardest part in many ways. Since the team is made up of players from all over the country it is very hard for us to get together prior to the tournament. Teams are sometimes not selected until six months before the tournament happens. Planning travel, all while handling our day to day lives it can get very tricky. One thing we can control is our own fitness prior to the tournament. I try to get in as many playing opportunities I can along with weight training, mobility, speed and sprint work.”
Although the distance can be difficult, Kelly also highlighted: “This World Cup we had a really talented team. We had former US national team players on our roster as well as a Canadian Olympian, a former Argentinian national team player and a former Mexican national team player. It felt like such a great American story with players of all different origins all representing the US together.”
“We are both very proud to be representing our country,” said Head Coach Tessa Taylor, “but also showing our players at the high school what is possible in this sport for a long time post education. We get to play with some of the best athletes in our age group in the country. We also get to learn and be coached by elite leaders in the sport. Our goal is to take what we learn as athletes ourselves and pass it on to our high school players.”
“This is one of my favorite parts of going on Tour,” she said later. “The vast knowledge we get from our coaches is unmatched. They all come in with different backgrounds and experience, and getting different perspectives really enhances my game and my coaching career. So many of my teammates are also well-established coaches in our country. Naturally, they share their expertise and I try to take that with me when I return home to my own team.”
This season is Taylor’s second heading the varsity high school team, but she’s been a familiar face to many Needham players for years.
“Many of the athletes knew me from the Youth Program in town,” she explained, “so I was able to transition fairly easily. I had an amazing group of seniors who helped me along the way with traditions and the team culture. We had a great year, a lot of fun and some really exciting wins.”
Assistant Coach Margaret Kelly is beginning her ninth year with the Rockets after originally volunteering when her daughter Kenzie was on the team before taking on the official position.
“Fortunately, Kenzie was really happy to have me support the program and she also made it crystal clear at the outset that I could help all the other kids, but Stephanie Magni—the Head Coach—would be the one coaching her. Good Boundaries! Magni, and I ended up loving working together so we formalized the position as the Varsity Assistant the following year and I coached with her for seven years.”
“Tessa & I first met playing in adult league a few years back,” Kelly explained. “I knew her name and number immediately—I’m a forward and she was defending me or maybe more accurately she was shutting me down. She’s a phenomenal player and when the position became available at the high school, I hoped she would throw her hat in. Needham is so lucky to have her. She puts so much thought into every aspect of the program and wants to help each of the girls develop to their very best potential. Tessa is the one to do it.”
Returning to Massachusetts just a few weeks before the beginning of the season, Taylor and Kelly are excited to bring their experiences as players to their roles as coaches for their second season together.
“It is so great to be back in the role of a player especially just before starting a new season of coaching with the high school,” said Kelly. “It’s a full refresh and reset! I came back with new skills, drills, and ideas that I can bring to the team, but the biggest benefit is that I remember what it feels like to be a player. It’s super humbling to put yourself back in that position—to be challenged and pushed, to make mistakes, and to have someone else evaluating your performance.
As a player, you realize how closely you listen, how much you value feedback, and how differently that feedback can feel depending on how it’s communicated. Being a player keeps me very mindful of that. I think that perspective makes me more aware of the experience we’re trying to create for our team. I want to challenge our players, hold them to high expectations and help them grow, but I also want them to feel supported and know that mistakes are a key part of becoming a better player.”
On the season ahead, Taylor said: “This season our talent is really spread out. I have a group of Juniors who have been playing together for a very long time and I really think that is going to benefit us all season long. Our main goal is to work tightly together as a team, have fun and play some good hockey.”
The Rockets’ schedule can be found online at: arbiterlive.com.
