The defending national champion Saint Anselm field hockey team have had their hands full as they kick off their title defense. In an offseason full of celebration and fanfare over the team and college’s first NCAA national title, the team was right back to the grind to prepare for what is to be an exciting title defense throughout the season. The Hawks kicked off their season in a matchup against no 3. East Stroudsburg in a difficult matchup to start the season. Despite the valiant effort, the Hawks fell in a 2-1 loss. Despite the loss, the team fought a hard battle and took a moral victory. The team was looking for a statement win following their opening loss, and they did just that with a 4-2 victory over No 8. Southern New Hampshire. In the victory the Hawks got goal contributions from 4 different players. The likes of which being Marissa Politano, Meghan Carey, Meghan Smith, and Kelly Holmes. Following the victory over SNHU, Saint Anselm went on to beat Bentley in a 2-1 victory in a tough matchup for in conference play. However, despite the away environment in Waltham, the team dug deep for a great win. While the team got back over .500, the team had some tough games ahead. Including a pair of ranked matchups out in Pennsylvania. The team started with a matchup against No 7 ranked West Chester. Despite the valiant comeback attempt by the Hawks in the second half, the team fell in a 4-2 contest. The team then proceeded to fall to No 4 ranked Shippensburg in a 4-0 shutout. The defending national champs needed a bounceback and get their groove back. Luckily for the Hawks, they got just that. Upon coming back from PA, the Hawks went up to Vermont to take on Saint Michael’s. The team went on to rout the Lancers in a 8-0 blowout. In the victory, the Hawks outshot the Lancers 75-0, 56 of which were on target. The win was massive for the team and took that momentum into a 3-1 win over Pace. Saint Anselm currently sits at a 4-3 record through 7 games which puts them 2nd in the NE-10 with a conference record of 1-0. The Hawks rank first in the conference in shots with 176 and have one of the more steady offenses in the conference ranking 3rd in the conference in terms of goals per game with 2.857. Individually, the Hawks have a few players towards the top of the NE-10 in individual stats. Meghan Smith sits 6th in the conference in shots with 27 (3.86 per game) while Marissa Politano sits 10th in the same category with 24 (3.43 per game). Politano is also 3rd in the conference in shots on goal. Layla Cameron has been holding it down for the team, sitting 6th in the conference in save percentage with a .727 line. Looking ahead, the Hawks have several conference games ahead. Starting with Malloy this saturday in Unionsville NY. Following Malloy, the team will be hosting Saint Michael’s at Grappone Stadium on Sep 30. Following Saint Mike’s, the Hawks will have to travel to New York to take on Adelphi then come back to the Hilltop to play Assumption. While the start to the season has been turbulent for the defending champs, they’re getting momentum at the right time to remind the NE-10 and the NCAA who runs the show.