The Thornton Academy field hockey program had a strong run last season as the Golden Trojans went 11-3 in the regular season and reached the Western Maine Class A semifinals.

Heading into the 2015 season, the Trojans are looking for more and look to have all the right pieces to make an even deeper run into the playoffs.

“They have high expectations for themselves,” said TA coach Lori Smith.

While not talking about specific goals, the Trojans are working towards becoming a better team and improving each day, according to Smith.

“They talked about being supportive of each other and coming together as a team because they know that is often the strength of our program,” said Smith. “They also set a goal of improving each day in practice by being focused. I talked to the team about not striving for perfection, but striving for progress. It’s important to let go of mistakes while working to improve.”

The progress has been apparent during the first few weeks of practice, according to Smith.

“Preseason went well. We stayed pretty healthy and had a great scrimmage against York, which show us specifically what we needed to work on,” said Smith. “Several players improved their performances from a year ago on our evaluation day and we had a freshman break our team’s all-time record for the timed-mile. Several players have improved their stick skills and I am seeing more depth to our team than I anticipated. That can only help us down the stretch.”

Leading the Trojans’ drive to improve will be senior co-captains Libby Pomerleau and Grace Pickering, who return after putting together stellar junior campaigns.

“Having Grace and Libby as captains and members of our team is a huge asset,” said Smith. “Grace has a lot of experience playing in national festivals and tournaments, so she is great at demonstrating and teaching other skills. Libby is a tremendous athlete, who is a positive leader for other players. Both are very competitive and set the tone for the level we want to compete at in games.”

Pomerleau comes into her senior season in a rare position as she already holds the school’s scoring record and will only add to it this season.

“Libby possesses quick thinking and speed. Those are huge advantages in field hockey,” said Smith on what makes Pomerleau so special. “Libby does whatever is necessary to get the ball in the net.”

Pomerleau is also special because of her demeanor and presence before, during and after games.

“She wants to win and does it for her teammates. She is also a pleasure to coach. She is respectful, enthusiastic and a great role model on and off the field,” said Smith.

If Pomerleau and the rest of the Trojans want to make it deeper in the postseason this year, it’s likely that they will have to go through one of their biggest rivals – perennial powerhouse Scarborough.

“Scarborough has become (our) local rival as much as Biddeford has been,” said Smith. “(We) often play our best game of the season against Scarborough. I am sure this year’s team is looking forward to hosting them on our home turf on Sept. 24. It will be a good test to see where we are before heading into playoffs in October.”

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext.322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.