Last Wednesday, the Mules field hockey team traveled to Biddeford, Maine to play a non-league match against the University of New England (UNE). The Mules earned their fifth victory of the season with a 1-0 win over the Nor’easters.  Colby finished the season undefeated in non-conference play.

The game’s only goal came in the 11th minute of the second half when senior co-captain Meryl Poulin pushed a rebounded shot past the Nor’easter goaltender. The goal marked Poulin’s 20th career goal and eighth of the season.

Liz Fontaine ’11 earned the shutout with eight saves in net for Colby. The win set the tone for the weekend and gave the Mules confidence going into a competitive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) game on Saturday.

In their final game on the Bill Alfond turf, a collective team effort led by a determined senior class earned Colby their first NESCAC win of the season. All five seniors played important roles in a huge 3-0 victory over Connecticut College (Conn) on Saturday. Offensively, Poulin recorded the first two goals while Olivia Lattanzi ’11 and Heather Quadir ’11 each contributed one assist. For her efforts, Poulin was named the NESCAC Player of the Week.

The senior leadership extended to the defensive end as well, as Hali Castleman’s ’11 aggressive play helped the Mules earn another shutout. The win marked Fontaine’s 17th victory as a Mule. According to Head Coach Amy Bernatchez, “The seniors have never put themselves first. Their attitude has not been to dwell on the fact that this is their last season. Their mentality is that there is still work to be done.”

The first goal was scored in the first 15 minutes of play off of a penalty corner served in by junior Caitlyn Lancaster. Junior defender Sarah Falkof calmly collected and prepared the ball for a quick shot by Poulin. Nearly 15 minutes later, Poulin scored her second goal of the day, her tenth of the season, off of an assist from Quadir. With 15 minutes left to play, Lattanzi passed a ball from the right side to sophomore Lucy Gerrity in the middle, who put it past the goalie to give the Mules a 3-0 advantage.

Colby improved to 6-7 overall and 1-7 in NESCAC play. The win keeps the Mules in contention for a spot in the league playoffs.

In order to secure a spot, the Mules must beat Bates in their final regular season match on Friday. The consistently evenly-matched teams are known to compete with similar styles of play in a long tradition of school rivalry. “When we play good team defense, I think we can compete with anybody,” says Bernatchez. She believes that Colby “has the edge” over Bates this year, “but [the team] has to prove it on the field.”

Colby will practice this week with a very clear set of goals to guide them. The team will look to maintain their fitness, repair injuries and polish their defensive press and counter attack. As they move forward, Bernatchez says the team will be “thrilled just to get in to the tournament,” adding, “we’re going to take it one game at a time.”