By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortresports
Christine Murray’s mindset is to control what can be controlled and the rest will fall into place.
The Woodstown High girls lacrosse team has long struggled to find stability at the head coaching position. During the past five seasons the Wolverines have had the same number of coaches lead the program.
A three-sport athlete herself back in her scholastic days, Murray knows that’s no recipe for success when it comes to trying to build a successful program.
The timing for Murray to take over the helm and finally offer that stability was perfect knowing that — and with her daughter, Gina, entering her freshman season.
“It’s a matter of that they didn’t have a coach. This is five years and five coaches, and that’s not good for a program,” Murray said. “My idea is to come on and bring coaches and try to find someone that has the desire to take over the program.”
“It was a team deal. Coach (Raechelle) Walker and I, that was a decision we made. We talked to the girls and asked them their thoughts, and they said, ‘please do it, please come, coach.’”
Fielding a lacrosse team at the Group 1 level, let alone being competitive, is challenging when most of your competition is against bigger, more established group 3 and group 4 programs.
Woodstown has proven to be an outlier in that regard, as the Wolverines have gone 43-26 since the start of the 2021 season, including four straight state playoff appearances. The Wolverines own a 4-3 record so far this season, but two of those setbacks came to defending South Jersey Group 2 champion and perennial state power Haddonfield.
“They may have a bigger pool to pull from but it boils down to determination,” Murray said. “Every ground ball, every loose ball and every ride — those things you can outwork bigger teams. We tell the girls to control what you can control. Focus on effort, attitude, hustle and communication, and play smart. I try to be positive, encouraging.”
Even more impressive about the Wolverines’ solid start — which includes wins over Kingsway, Clearview Regional and West Deptford — is that Murray stepped into her new role just three weeks prior to the start of the season.
Said Athletic Director Joe Ursino, “coach Murray and her staff have done an amazing job in such a short period of time. It is not easy being a first-year head coach, it is even harder to be the fifth coach in five years. As the athletic director, I am in awe of what coach Murray has accomplished, considering she met her team about three weeks before the season event started.
“Once we offered her the position, she built a coaching staff that she knew would elevate the entire program and started developing a game plan for what the start of the season would look like. If you have never been a varsity coach it is tough to understand the responsibilities that come outside of coaching. Coach Murray has been crushing it in all aspects, and I am looking forward to continuing watching her lead the Woodstown High School girls lacrosse program.”
The Wolverines also boast a strong family connection.
Not only does Murray get the opportunity to coach her own daughter, but Walker is the mother of star junior attacker Delaney Walker, whose 117 career goals ranks eighth in school history, according to Ursino.
A 1996 Woodstown graduate, Murray played her freshman year of sports (soccer, basketball and softball) alongside Walker, a senior at the time who graduated in 1993.
“Working with coach Walker is something that not everyone gets an opportunity to do,” Murray said. “We both came from the same small town that was a sending district into Woodstown. She was a senior when I was a freshman. I was fortunate to play the same sports as her and be on the field with her. She’s someone that I had respect for back then and I still do today. I value her opinion and what she has to say. I think we are going in the right direction. We want to build a fun, competitive environment for the girls to grow.”
It’s unique how things have come full circle.
Murray and Walker now get to coach their daughters together, at the same school where they once played together 31 years ago.
Gina Murray says she enjoys having her mom coach her team. However, there’s no lacrosse talk outside of practice and games, she said. Once they get in the car together to go home, lips are sealed when it comes to the sport.
“It feels good, I like it,” Gina said of having her mom coach her squad. “I like how she coaches and the way she views things is kind of similar to the way I view things. We don’t bring lacrosse talk inside. Everything that happens at lacrosse, stays at lacrosse.”
Added coach Murray, “it’s a tough one. We try to keep the balance. At home we don’t talk about lacrosse. I’m ‘mom’ outside of lacrosse, and ‘coach’ inside of lacrosse. She has her dad to talk about lacrosse, and she knows that.
“Lacrosse at home is with dad, and on the field is with ‘coach’. We have that line. It’s a mom relationship, so I don’t want it to cross over.”
It’s safe to say that under Murray, the Woodstown girls lacrosse program will be just fine for the foreseeable future. Murray, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Cedarville University (OH) in 2000, also currently serves as a third-grade teacher in the district at Mary S. Shoemaker Elementary School.
“I don’t foresee me leaving,” she said. “I plan on coming back as long as they have me back. I love the girls, and I love the program. We have a good little group here, for sure. Having our high schoolers help out and having good coaches in our youth program with the same mindset is key in our success.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Woodstown hosts Clearview Regional on May 7 at 4 p.m.
