Currently standing at a respectable 5-1 record to start, the University of Maine field hockey team has high hopes as they head deeper into a competitive 2015 season. Their goal is nothing short of winning the America East Conference this year, and with the progression of a few key players, it could become a reality. Though they have shined at times so far, on a road filled with tough conference games lies in their near future.
If Maine has any hopes of getting into the championship, it will depend on the performance of its starters. Third-year midfielder Sydney Veljacic has been fundamental to Maine’s strong start as she currently leads the team in scoring with four goals on the season, along with one assist. Fourth-year midfielder Marissa Shaw is one tally behind Veljacic with three goals. Fourth-year forward Jessica Skillings has yet to tally a goal, but her team high five assists cannot go unnoticed.
Maine’s goalkeepers also deserve a fair share of credit for only allowing six goals to opposing teams thus far, along with a shutout performances against Holy Cross earlier in the season. The rotation of second-year goalkeepers Emma Cochran and Emily Corbett have helped keep Maine’s defense fortified. Cochran has seen slightly more playing time, allowing two goals and marking seven saves. Corbett has been credited with eight saves, but opposing teams have beat her three times. Maine needs Corbett, Cochran, Shaw, Skillings, Veljacic and the rest of their starters to play well over the next few weeks if they want to keep loses off their record.
The Black Bears early performance has shown that this team is filled with talent and plenty of ability.
“We’re fast and we have a lot of skill, so in the end we’re going to come out strong, I believe,” first-year midfielder Lydia Gavner said.
UMaine dropped its first contest this week, and it was an emotional one. Maine played their hearts out for the entire game only to see the victory get stolen right out of their hands in a crushing 2-1 loss to No. 20 ranked Boston University.
No loss comes easily, but for the Black Bears, there were plenty of positive takeaways. Head Coach Josette Babineau reflected on the loss after the game.
“Probably the only negative part would be to not get the win, you know? But to be honest with you this was definitely our biggest test so far in this season,” Babineau said.
Prior to the loss to BU, the Black Bears were riding a three-game winning streak that included victories over La Salle, Holy Cross, and Hofstra. The outlook for the season is that of excitement, as the Black Bears continue improving.
“I think our passing game keeps getting better, so we work on that a lot in practice. We’ll just continue to work on that and get strong,” Veljacic said.
Heading forward, the stakes get higher as the thought on every player’s mind is the conference games. If Maine wants to win the America East Conference this year, they’ll have to take down some challenging teams.
The end of the season will be intense, as the Black bears finish the season with five consecutive conference games. This includes a home game versus UMass-Lowell on Oct. 18, then a road trip to take on the University at Albany on Oct. 23. Maine closes the season by hosting the University of Vermont on Oct. 30 and then heading into enemy territory to take on University of New Hampshire in the final game of the season on Nov. 1.
None of these matchups are going to be an easy win, but only one conference rival has a better record at this point in the season. UMass Lowell stands at an unblemished 4-0. The season is still young however, and there is plenty of time for any team to rise or fall.
With such a daunting slate of high-pressure games, many would think that Maine will feel nervous as the season heats up, but that is not the case. Instead, the Black Bears are poised to keep improving and ride their early momentum to the postseason.
“We have a couple more games until conference play just to work out a couple little kinks, but once conference play starts, I’m excited to get there and then get into the championship,” fourth-year forward Cassidy Svetek said.