Webber part of a veteran roster as UMaine field hockey seeks 1st NCAA tourney berth

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff

ORONO — Brooke Sulinski always wanted to play field hockey at the University of Maine, and the former Old Town High School star has had an impressive career with the Black Bears.

But there is one thing that has evaded Sulinski, her teammates and every other former UMaine field hockey player: an NCAA Tournament berth.

Sulinski and her teammates feel strongly that this could finally be the year that they win their first America East tournament to earn that NCAA appearance. Every member of the spring 2021 team is back this season due to changes in eligibility, and UMaine boasts two of the league’s best players — this spring’s America East Midfielder of the Year, Hana Davis, and the 2019 Defender of the Year, Cassandra Mascarenhas.

The team went 7-4 this past spring, during a season that was rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA did not dock student-athletes a year of eligibility last season so everyone was able to return.

“The team looks really, really good,” said Sulinski, a graduate student who has produced 11 goals and three assists in 55 career games including four goals and an assist in each of the last two seasons.

“No one left and that has really helped to bring us all together. We’re so close. We’re all best friends,” Sulinski said.

The Black Bears have shared four league regular season championships and have been nationally ranked.

They have gone 35-10 in America East regular season play over the past six seasons, 75-36 overall.

But they are 4-6 in postseason play.

The Black Bears were picked to finish second in the America East preseason poll, just a single point behind Monmouth. UMaine and Monmouth shared the regular season title this past spring but Stanford won the tournament for the fourth time in five years.

A healthy Mascarenhas said she is “very confident” her team has what it takes to win the tournament.

She feels this is potentially the best UMaine team she has played on.

“We really connect well and our skills are so much better,” Mascarenhas said.

The speedy Sulinski, an all-state high school player who followed in the field hockey footsteps of older sisters Ella and Gillan, said she has been happy with her career but wants to have her best season this fall.

“I’ve gotten better every year. There was amazing growth my first year because [head coach Josette Babineau and associate head coach Michelle Simpson] are such great coaches,” the 5-foot-2 Sulinski said. “I want to score more goals this season and be really productive with the ball. I want to keep possession of it. I don’t want to turn it over.”

“She can score goals and she is also our most solid defensive forward,” Babineau said.

“She has great skills and she’s a great leader. She brings a lot to our forward line,” said midfielder Mascarenhas. 

Mascarenhas suffered a season-ending broken finger this spring and played in just four of the 11 games.

But the Black Bears still finished 7-1 in the conference and 7-4 overall including a 2-1 loss to Stanford in the semifinals.

Davis said she and the rest of her teammates were forced to compensate for Mascarenhas’ loss by elevating their games and that’s what they did. 

“In a way, it was really good for us to have that opportunity to step up. I relied on her and it really forced me to step it up. The rest of the team had that same mentality,” Davis said.

“To see how the team developed all spring and how everyone got better. … I am so excited to be back playing with them again,” Mascarenhas said. “We’re looking really strong.”

Davis said some previous UMaine teams may have had more talent than this one but “the one thing that trumps everything is the culture that we have. The talent we have is still exceptional but the culture takes us to that next step.”

Babineau, who is in her 15th season as the head coach and is sporting a 158-104 record and a string of 13 straight America East tournament appearances, has put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare her team for league play.

Three of her first six games are against teams ranked in the top 20 of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s preseason poll.

“I hope our non-conference schedule will challenge us and elevate us to that level,” Babineau said. 

The Bears have a veteran goalkeeper in Mia Borley, who has 12 career shutouts including 10 in conference play which is one shy of the league record. 

“She has had a couple of solid seasons but she can still make a jump in her game,” Babineau said.

Poppy Lambert (5 goals, 1 assist), an All-Rookie team selection, and Brittany Smith (2 & 2) will start in the back with Kristjana Walker or Portland’s Hannah Abbott.

Davis (3 & 0) and Mascarenhas will be in the midfield along with Garland’s Abby Webber (0 & 1), Pittsfield’s Madisyn Hartley (1 & 1) and Showhegan’s Bhreagh Kennedy.

Leading scorer and All-America East first teamer Chloe Walton (6 & 2), who has scored 13 goals the past two seasons, All-Rookie team choice Tereza Holubcova (2 & 5), Sulinski, Boothbay Harbor’s Sydney Meader and Julia Ross (1 & 1) will supply UMaine with plenty of scoring punch up front.

There are nine Maine natives on the roster. The other three are Bangor’s Meaghan Caron, Hampden’s Claire Scobie and Searsmont’s Kelsey Mehuren.

The Black Bears want to win the regular season title so they can host the tournament.

They will have an intriguing America East-opening weekend on Sept. 24 and 26 when they host Monmouth (3 p.m.) and Stanford (noon), respectively.