Coach Donna Jordan sees another year of improvement for her 2016 field hockey team. The veteran coach, a Maine Field Hockey Hall of Fame member now in her third season at Boothbay Region High School, has a nucleus of returning seniors and juniors who may give the program its first winning season in many years, and perhaps a playoff win or two.

In 2014, the team finished 6-6-2 and made it to the preliminary round of the state playoffs. Last year, the team finished the regular season at 7-7 and lost to Maine Central Institute in the quarterfinal round of the Class C North tournament.

"We have speed and depth," said Jordan of this year's team. "We have a solid and skilled junior class and our seniors have shown improvement over what they showed last preseason."

The junior class features 2015 all-state selection and the team's leading scorer last year, Sydney Meader, Page Brown, Sydney Mercier, Kylie Michael, Jo Shaw, Lilly Sherburne, Kayla Lewis, Elizabeth Ham, and newcomer Emily Amaral.

The senior class features longtime starters Nicole Clarke and goalie Erica Eames, along with Molly Thibault, Lexi Welch and Elisabeth Wright.

Jordan has only two sophomores, Lexi Lane and Riley Sullivan, but they will see plenty of playing time.

Five freshmen, who tasted a successful season in elementary school last year, will don the blue and gold uniforms. The first-year players are Chloe Arsenault, Maddy Faulkingham, Hali Goodwin, Josey Smith and Jackie Steinmetz.

The freshmen, sophomores and some upperclassmen will play in the junior varsity games. The junior varsity is coached by Lauren Brown.

The team has had a busy and productive preseason, despite not being at full-strength due to various reasons, said Jordan.

"We've won several scrimmages, and everyone has gotten plenty of playing time, which are great confidence builders," said Jordan.

Jordan said the team members are all getting along, having run together to get in shape, and having a breakfast together. The team also participated in the fundraising tournament in Topsham on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Another "team" function will be held Sept. 18 when the Lady Seahawks will travel to Orono to watch the Black Bear field hockey team take on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Jordan sees the Lisbon Greyhounds, Winthrop Ramblers and Mountain Valley Falcons as being Boothbay's toughest opponents this season.

"For some reason, we always have a hard time against Mountain Valley," said Jordan.

Jordan said the focus this year is to dictate play, not react to the opponent's game.

"So far, that has worked," said Jordan.

Boothbay begins its season Aug. 31 at Dirigo and will host Lisbon on Perkins Field (which is now all grass with the softball infield being topped with loam) on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.