GORHAM, Maine — Senior Peyton Dostie of Standish and junior Allison Ward of Rockland have been named captains of the 2014 University of Southern Maine Huskies field hockey team.
“Along with their strong on-the-field presence, Peyton and Allison exhibit tremendous leadership skills off of the field. Approachable, dependable, mature and responsible, Peyton and Allison have a strong sense of team and are great role models for our incoming players,” USM coach Bonny Brown-Denico said in a news release. “During preseason, Peyton and Allison have shown their commitment to our team’s success pushing their teammates to work harder while giving encouraging feedback. They have rightfully earned the respect of their teammates as well as the coaching staff.”
Ward returns to the Huskies after sitting out a majority of last season with injuries. A defensive and midfield leader, Ward’s decision-making ability will bolster the Huskies’ defensive third of the field.
The reigning Little East Conference Player of the Year, Dostie is set to begin her second season as one of the Huskies’ co-captains. Last season she set the Southern Maine record for points in a season (56).
“Peyton is an extremely hardworking, talented and level-headed player,” said Brown-Denico. “She has the ability to take our team to the next level. I look for her to be a continued force for us offensively.”
Dostie has 37 goals and 15 assists for 89 points in her 42-game career with USM.
Along with Dostie and Ward, the Huskies also return third-team All-LEC defender junior Marina Davidson of Windham and senior Rebecca Pratt of Cornville. Davidson started 20 of the Huskies’ 21 games and made four defensive saves, earning all-conference recognition. Pratt is the Huskies’ second-leading returning goal scorer. She scored nine goals and had six assists as a junior.
USM opens its season at home at 11 a.m. Friday against Manhattanville College. The Huskies play their league opener at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, when they host Bridgewater State.
Bowdoin field hockey team ranked first in nation
Defending national champion Bowdoin College is ranked first in the preseason Division III poll released by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Tuesday.
Bowdoin, which claimed its fourth national crown in the last seven years last autumn, received 37 of 43 first-place votes in the poll.
The Polar Bears are coming off a 18-3 season that ended with a 1-0 win over Salisbury in the national title game.
Salisbury is ranked second, Montclair State third and Christopher Newport fourth. Bowdoin beat those three teams in the NCAA Tournament en route to the crown.
Bowdoin opens its season on Saturday at Wesleyan.
Thomas men picked second in NAC soccer poll
Three Maine colleges cracked the top five while Castleton State has been picked first in the North Atlantic Conference preseason men’s soccer coaches poll.
Castleton received six first-place votes and finished with 94 points in the poll and was followed by Thomas College of Waterville with 91 points and four first-place votes.
Husson University of Bangor was ranked third in the preseason poll with 74 points, followed by Maine Maritime Academy of Castine with 64 and New England College with 62.
Rounding out the top 10 were: Colby-Sawyer (59), University of Maine-Farmington (41), Lyndon State (29), Johnson State (24) and Green Mountain College (12).