Abby Allen, left, Khianna Jackson, middle, and Megan Mourmouras prepare to run a play at a recent Biddeford High
field hockey practice at Waterhouse Field. The trio is a part of a reloaded Tigers roster that features a mix of veterans and underclassmen. (ANTHONY LOMBARDI/Journal Tribune)
BIDDEFORD – Two games into the field hockey season, Biddeford High has played as advertised.
The Tigers are young, talented and one of the favorites to represent Class A South in the state championship for a second straight year. But there’s still work to be done if the plan to win consecutive titles will come to fruition.
“I like to put things into perspective sometimes, and the second I think they’re feeling comfortable in something I remind them that other teams are working just as hard,” said Biddeford head coach Caitlin Tremberth after a recent Tigers practice at Waterhouse Field. “We want to develop … We’re just trying to take it game by game.”
Biddeford entered the season ranked as the preseason favorite in Maine and the No. 3 team in the New England Region despite some unanswered questions internally. All-SMAA first-teamers Hailey Allen and Paige Laverriere and second-team goalie Taylor Wildes, among others, graduated and left a few vacancies in the lineup. The Tigers return Max Field Hockey’s Preseason State Player of the Year in junior Abby Allen and 10 other upperclassmen to a roster that features 13 first or second-year players.
Even with its youth, Biddeford has opened 2-0 with wins at Sanford and over Cheverus. Freshman goalie Abby Nadeau has only allowed three goals, junior Carley Lovejoy registered a hat trick against the Stags, including the game-winner with no time on the clock, and Abby Allen has scored twice on the young season. Biddeford moved up to the No. 1 ranked team in the New England Region in the latest poll update Tuesday.
“Some of these girls are just really talented … I wouldn’t want to play against them,” said senior captain Cori Cote. “(Practice) can be intimidating, but I know it’s going to push me … We definitely take a lot of pride in being ranked third in New England. It is kind of scary. It’s exciting.”
Cote, a four-year starter, has seen the Tigers improve from a 7-9 team her freshman season to a combined 31-3-1 over the last two years. Not much has changed in Cote’s strategy as a defenseman since the start of her high school career, she said, but the program’s culture continues to develop each fall.
This season, Biddeford has stressed optimism and sportsmanship at all times. Even during a recent practice, when a bad pass by one of the players resulted in push-ups for the whole team, the Tigers’ captains could be heard shouting words of encouragement across the field.
“We’re really motivating positivity this year. We think that is the most important thing,” said senior captain Brooklyn Goff. “If we all stick together and have that positive energy, then there’s nothing that we can’t do.”
Biddeford High senior Brooklyn Goff watches the field hockey ball as she performs a drill at a recent practice. (ANTHONY LOMBARDI/Journal Tribune)
Goff, Cote and the Tigers’ third captain, senior Megan Mourmouras, have never entered a season with the target on their backs as the defending champs. They know the difficulties — 12 different schools have represented the South in the title match since 2001 — of the challenge before them and the strength of their opponents this season. Biddeford plays at No. 4 Scarborough tonight, and will also see No. 5 Gorham and No. 3 Westbrook in a rematch of last year’s regional final. Add to the schedule a Falmouth group that lost to Biddeford by one goal in last season’s regional semis, a currently undefeated Massabesic team and a Thornton Academy unit that can play with anyone in the state, and the Tigers don’t want to buy too much into their own hype.
“Preseason ranks can be accurate but you just never really know,” Mourmouras said. “My freshman and sophomore year we were more of the underdog team … no one was really expecting us to come out with a bang.”
As the Tigers dropped to the turf at Waterhouse Field to give their coach another set of push-ups for a lazy pass, Tremberth motivated her players by letting them know that she thought some other schools on their schedule looked better than they do.
Positive motivation is the focus this season, but sometimes it’s good to put things into perspective.
“It makes me smile. It makes everyone realize that we’re not on top anymore,” Mourmouras said. “It’s a whole new season. We’ve got to work for everything.”
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