The University of Maine’s field hockey team will be looking to return to the top of the America East standings this season after an uncharacteristic campaign a year ago in which the Black Bears won just one conference regular season game.
The Black Bears have struggled of late, going just 7-12 in their last 19 conference regular season games after posting 10 consecutive winning seasons in conference play, with a 56-15 record during that stretch.
Even though the Black Bears went just 1-4 in America East in 2025 and finished fifth in the six-team league, they upset fourth seed UMass Lowell 4-3 in the league quarterfinals and took top seed Vermont to a penalty stroke shootout before losing.
UMaine outshot Vermont 13-3 over the game’s final 35 minutes.
Josette Babineau is in her 20th season as the Black Bears head coach, and she and her assistants have earned America East Coaching Staff of the Year honors three times, including 2021 when they guided the Black Bears to their only America East tournament title and NCAA Division I tournament berth.
The team opens practice on Friday.
“We had a lot of true first-year players in our program last year. We fell short of our expectations. But we were close to making the championship game and we had some growth,” said Babineau.
She has two new assistants this season, including former Skowhegan High star Courtney Veinotte, who played for Babineau at UMaine and was her assistant from 2011-17 before spending seven years at Hofstra University in New York as the associate head coach and then the head coach.
“It is so great to have Courtney back. We worked well together before,” Babineau said. “There was a comfort level right away and she worked part-time with us in the spring and was able to form relationships with our returning players.
“She has also worked with some young players in the state who are outstanding although it will be a couple of years before we can recruit them. It’s exciting.”
Mike Van Iderstine is the new associate head coach after serving as the talent pathway leader and coach for Field Hockey Canada, where he managed five national training centers and developed program curriculum, practice plans, talent identification and individual performance outlines while also overseeing Field Hockey Canada’s national youth teams.
He had been an assistant for the Under 21 Canadian women’s and men’s field hockey teams and was the head coach of the U18 Canadian women’s national team.
Babineau said Van Iderstine has a “strong background in player development,” including Canada’s Next Gen program for talented young athletes they put in the pathway program to realize their goals and, in some cases, eventually becoming national team players.
He has international experience and they have players from eight different countries he can develop, she said.
He will also be involved in game planning, tactics and special teams.
Van Iderstine is replacing longtime associate head coach Michelle Simpson, who is now the school’s associate athletic director for student success and senior women’s administrator.
Senior goalkeeper Jayde Temby, who has appeared in 28 career games, is coming off lower-body surgery that limited her to six games a year ago.
Last season goalkeeper Rozarie Mrazova played in 17 games and has graduated.
Temby will be backed up by promising freshmen Fiona Gunsch and Annabel Halkes.
“They have different playing styles, but they all have the agility and quickness to play at this level,” Babineau said. “It will be good to see how they progress and develop. The success of our program relies heavily on that position. Jayde knows the game and is a good communicator.”
Her three starting fullbacks return in senior Eloise Penty and sophomores Louisa Plaehn and Nicole Kowalewski. That will be a strength of the team.
Penty tied for the team lead in goals a year ago with eight, and she set a school record with six penalty stroke goals. She also had six assists to tie for the team lead in points with 22.
“Eloise plays her role really well,” Babineau said.
Kowalewski had an impressive freshman season with four goals and two assists to help her earn All-America East second team accolades.
“She works hard and wants to be good. She has potential to grow in her role,” Babineau said.
Junior Connie Davies and freshman Luisa Muller will add depth in the back.
Babineau also has a veteran front line including senior Saylor Kuefler, who had six goals and a team-leading 10 assists to tie Penty for the scoring lead with 22 points. Kuefler has 15 goals and 15 assists in 57 career games.
Martha Barratt was another quality freshman contributor as she scored five goals and has “lots of speed and good skills. She has a lot of potential,” Babineau said.
Junior Emily Chisholm had a goal and three assists last fall and had a “really good spring” according to her coach.
UMaine plays several spring games against other Division I teams in New England.
Sophomore Allison Sweetser had a productive spring and has a lot of promise, according to Babineau. She appeared in three games last fall.
Senior forward Taylor Stanford is back after missing all of last season due to a knee injury. She has 22 career games to her credit.
The midfield is where Babineau took the biggest hit in terms of departures.
All-America East first team picks Zoe Furber (8 goals, 4 assists last season) and Olivia Geniti (6 goals, 2 assists) have graduated as has Taylor Katsube (3 goals, 2 assists). And Julia Pieters (1 goal) decided to return to the Netherlands.
“We need a little more depth in the midfield. We had people playing different roles in the spring and some young players had good springs in the midfield. It was nice to see them develop into those roles,” Babineau said.
She does have two solid established players in the midfield in senior Brynn Dzengelewski (3 goals, 5 assists) and junior Floor Dijkhuizen (1 goal, 2 assists). Both were starters.
Newcomer Heidi Fletcher has a lot of upside, Babineau said. Sophomores Leyden Churchill, Sofia Miller and Gabrielle Sousa are also midfielders.
Freshman Charlotte McNeill is a versatile player who can play a number of different positions.
Babineau’s team went 7-12 overall a year ago and was held to one goal or less eight times.
“We need to score more] this season,” said Babineau, whose team returns players who scored 28 of last year’s 46 goals and had 29 of the 37 assists. “Scoring and goalkeeping are things we are going to have to work on the whole season.”
UMaine opens with exhibition games against Brown and Harvard at a neutral site on Aug. 21 and 23.