NEWTON, Mass. – Almost all of the firsts are out of the way for the Mount Ida College field hockey program.
Now, a significant core of the group that became the 16th varsity sport at Mount Ida last season will return to Mustang City, hoping to take the next step, which would be elevating the program to prominence at the conference level.
"I want our players to step up and make a name for themselves in the conference, and to define themselves as conference leaders, not just team leaders," said head coach Nicole Poli, who ushered the team into its new era last season. "Obviously making the conference tournament would go a long way in making that statement."
The Mustangs won five games in their inaugural season in 2014, and now will be looking to make their first appearance in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason tournament, exceeding their 7th place vote in this year's preseason poll conducted among GNAC coaches. Coach Poli believes that this year, her team will be ready to play in the conference.
"I think we understand now what we need to do to compete in a conference game," said Poli. "The hype of these games, the intensity that picks up, and the rivalries you create are something now that we understand and now we know how hard we need to fight and raise the bar for those games."
The Mustang's offensive attack will see the return of its two leading scorers, starting with Lexi Minicucci (Westfield, Mass.), who slotted home 14 goals a season ago, including the first in program history. A quick and dangerous attack, Minicucci added six assists last year for a team-high 34 points, tied for fourth in the conference.
Fellow sophomore Hayley Napier (Fairhaven, Mass.) notched 11 goals a year ago and will be looked to as another attacking option in her second season.
The midfield will be anchored by the most senior member of the team, junior Nikki Kinneen (Salem, N.H.) and sophomore midfielder Cregan Callahan (Diamond Point, N.Y.), who had four assists last year.
Sophomores Emily McConnell (Lowell, Mass.), Emily Salls (Springvale, Maine), and Molly Thompson (Canterbury, Conn.) will continue to mesh into a solid defensive back-line, and they posted shutouts in three of their wins last year. Salls also added three goals and an assist while pushing up in attack.
Joining the veterans will be a talented rookie class that includes Colleen Cordon (Watertown, Mass.), Alexa Francis (Rochester, Mass.), Alex Giordano (Malden, Mass.), Sarah Hemstock (Northford, Conn.), Elizabeth Potter (Bennington, Vt.) Jacki Tarsook (Derry, N.H.) and Suzanne Thibault ().
The first year group is already bonding with the young group of veterans, and Poli believes that chemistry will be a key part of the success as the program continues to build on now these two classes.
"We brought in a solid class of hard-working girls, just like last year and we actually recruited similar characteristics this year which has established unity faster than normal, and which we hope will create success on the field," said Poli, who admits that while the team may struggle with their depth, they will offer great opportunities for the freshman to get lots of on-the-job experience. "We had a little bit of an advantage last year with teams not knowing who we had and how to play us, but now it's up to us to change the tempo and to use our freshmen to help us build on last year. We are retaining a lot of the same players, but we need to also establish strong connections with new teammates and change the style."
The Mustangs open with five straight games within the confines of Alumni Field, beginning September 1st when they host Salve Regina for the first meeting in program history. They will also look to get their first wins against Nichols and Becker and then try to stay perfect against Daniel Webster, who they beat twice in last year's inaugural season.
The GNAC opener is on September 12th at home against Saint Joseph's (ME).