Leavitt coach Wanda Ward-McLean knew her squad was going to be solid on both ends of the field. The Hornets returned a good chunk of their offense, most of the defense and all-state-caliber goalie Taylor Eells.

But through their first two games, the Hornets have been downright scary to the tune of 14 goals scored and none allowed against a pair of Class B foes.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Ward-McLean said.

Two of Leavitt’s heavy hitters on the front line are seniors, but another handful, including top reserves, are not. It’s the luxury of depth that eludes so many other programs, even at the Class A and Class B level.

“Four kids up front have all played varsity for at least one year or more,” Ward-McLean said. “Casey (Fichter) and Adrianna (Newton) have both played three years up front now. They have a lot of experience. Then Bri DeGone and Cheryl Fichter are sophomores and they both played last year, too.”

As impressive as the 14 goals have been — which have included a couple scored by the midfield — the fact that Eells has been largely bored in her cage during games is even more impressive. But Ward-McLean isn’t worried about Eells falling asleep when games get tighter and she sees a bit more action.

“Unfortunately, she doesn’t see a lot of action all the time. She doesn’t get tested in games sometimes,” Ward-McLean said. “It’s hard for her to stay sharp that way. But she gets a lot of action in practice, that’s for sure. That’s not an issue at all.”

Leavitt next takes the field Thursday against Mt. Blue, a team new to Class B this season after dropping in from Class A due to declining enrollment numbers. The Cougars are 1-1 on the season to date, and though they’ve never faced each other in the regular season, the teams are still familiar with one another.

“We play them once in the summer in the league that we play in. They’re always very aggressive, so that’s what I expect,” Ward-McLean said. “I expect them to put more pressure on us than we’ve seen so far.”

Unfamiliar territory

This time of year, field hockey news out of the Bethel area is normally routine: Telstar wins, another team loses. The rest of the MVC yawns, perhaps licks some wounds, and moves on.

This season has begun with more of an anomaly than in previous seasons. In their first game of the season, the Rebels (gulp) lost a game.

Are they flustered?

“Not at all,” veteran coach Gail Wight said with a laugh. “Told you I was younger this year. This is probably the youngest team I’ve had in about 10 years.”

Younger, though, and in the hole by a game early in the season, does not mean that Telstar’s MVC supremacy will come crashing to a halt.

“They’re young, but that doesn’t mean they’re not talented, because they are,” Wight said. “After the game, they were still happy, they were smiling, they were very upbeat. They played well in the game, and at this point, that’s what matters.”

Telstar’s early-season loss, a tight defeat against one of the conference’s better squads in Mountain Valley, might actually help the young group — at times the Rebels played four sophomores against the Falcons.

“I told everyone, we might still tweak a few positions … just like any coach, we have to look and see what’s working, and what we have to be better with.”

New mentality

It’s been several years since Lewiston High School’s field hockey team has sported a winning record.

While it’s only been two games, this season’s group appears motivated to be the first in a while to wear that mantle.

“We’re a new team, we want to turn over a new leaf,” first-year coach Bre Allard said. “It’s a new season, lots of new changes.”

Against another team looking to build from a lull in Bangor, Lewiston opened its season with a victory over the Rams. The Blue Devils then battled to a scoreless tie with Mt. Ararat during which both defenses played solidly.

A tougher stretch awaits Lewiston in the coming couple of weeks, though, with perennial power Skowhegan, nemesis Brunswick and unbeaten Brewer lurking after games against regional rivals Oxford Hills and Edward Little.