The Saint Anselm field hockey team made their return to campus on August 14 to begin their preseason training. As always, the Hawks have very high expectations for the season, and they come into the 2022 season ranked number six in the nation – a true national powerhouse. 

The team wasted no time getting back to work. During the first week of preseason, the team had double sessions of practice each day before transitioning into a more normal practice and lift schedule. The Hawks had three preseason scrimmages to help get prepared. The first was at MIT, the second was at NE-10 opponent SNHU (who the Hawks will face later in the season), and the third was home versus Endicott. 

Carolyn King-Robitaille is entering her 11th season as the head coach of the program. The captains for this year’s squad are senior defenders Joanna Archambault and Lauren Mauretti. 

The Hawks lost their season opener 2-0 in a close and hard-fought match at Shippensburg – the number one team in the country and defending NCAA Division II champions. The Hawks finished off their road trip with another close loss to number seven Millersville. Sophomore forward Amanda Lewandowski scored the sole goal for the Hawks in the 2-1 defeat. Senior midfielder Avery Tucker assisted on the score. But the Hawks have nothing to hang their heads about. They are one of the very best teams in the entire country and have a very promising season ahead. 

The Hawks bring in eight talented freshmen for this season. The veteran players have been impressed with what they’ve seen from the younger players and newcomers in the first few weeks. Every great team has great leaders. And the Hawks are fortunate enough to have great veteran leadership to guide the younger players and help them adjust to the college level. 

“We have our first international player ever, Millie Forster, a freshman from England. She’s awesome and brings a whole new style of play we haven’t seen. She’s a very selfless player,” said Archambault.

Archambault had high praise for the other freshmen as well. “The other girls have been working really hard too, and one of our freshmen won the beep test, which was awesome. Personality wise, they’re a great group of girls. We’re excited to see them pursue their potential.”

The seniors agreed that being the oldest on the team gives them a whole new perspective on things. Seniors are the glue of the team and help lead by example for the younger student-athletes. 

“It’s really cool to see all the lessons we’ve learned from our older teammates the past three years and how we’re teaching those lessons to the freshmen,” said senior forward Maggie Malloy.  

“It’s an awesome opportunity to take the things we loved from past seniors and use them as examples. But we can also take things that were less successful and learn from past seniors’ experiences and be able to do things differently now,” said Mauretti.

“Now being seniors, we’re realizing there’s a lot of behind the scene work going on that we didn’t realize before. There’s so much more going on in our sport other than on the field and in the weight room. It takes a full team effort on and off the field to be successful,” said Archambault. 

The Hawks also spent plenty of time together during the preseason to help get familiar with one another and make a strong bond. The team went on a trip to Canobie Lake Park with their coaches, which was a great way for everyone to have fun and be themselves. 

“One thing that definitely brings the team together is Inside Scoop ice cream. We also do ‘getting to know you’ games and tell stories and set the scene for the culture we want as a team,” said Mauretti. 

“I feel like a huge part of team bonding came last spring. It was a great opportunity to just forge together into what we wanted to be. We left the spring being the team we wanted to be in the fall. I feel really positive about the team environment this year,” said Malloy.

Saint Anselm field hockey is no stranger to success. The Hawks qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament four seasons in a row (2016-2019). The Hawks also won their first NE-10 championship in 2019 and made it all the way to the national championship game. 

Archambault, Mauretti, and Malloy all agreed that the team has one goal this season. “We want to win the national championship.” 

“On a smaller scale our goal is to just get better with every practice we have, every activity and team lift and to take one step at a time. In the end it’s the little things that will add up to the big thing we want,” said Archambault.

An essential aspect of every successful team is to have everyone buy into the same goals, mindset, and mentality. The field hockey team does just this. 

“Our mentality is to reach our potential as individuals which will translate to the whole team,” said Malloy.

“And not only on the field, but be the best version of yourself in life. Coach stresses growing outside of field hockey as well,” added Archambault. 

“Our whole senior class went to the SEEK leadership conference the school put on. The football coach, Joe Adam, said, ‘You can’t build somebody else’s house until you build your own.’ With that in mind, you’re taking care of yourself and reaching your potential, and that only lifts everyone up with you,” said Mauretti.

The Hawks have very high expectations for this season. Make sure to support the Hawks in their home opener versus East Stroudsburg on September 10 at 11 am.