WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The 2025 year is upon us and for the first time in University of Hartford history there will be a field hockey team taking the turf.
READY TO MAKE NOISE
Head coach Rhonwen Peters leads the Hawks into their first season after being hired in May of 2024. Peters comes over after being the head coach of American International College for seven seasons, where she is the all-time wins leader. Peters is joined by Owen Moore and Anna Drakeley who both will assist the team in their first season. Moore comes to Hartford after being the varsity head coach on Shepaug Valley School for the past two years after serving as an assistant coach in 2022. Drakeley comes to the Hawks after being an assistant under Peters at American International. She also was a former Division II Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American at Saint Anselm College in 2019.
"My expectations for the team this year are to develop a foundation for what the University of Hartford field hockey program is", said Peters. "We want to develop and live by our core values and build our reputation not only on campus but also in the greater Hartford area as well."
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The roster will feature 12 freshmen student-athletes with nine others returning to the team. Seniors
Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) and
Jaylene Soto (Bayville, N.J.) are the lone seniors on the team who both participated in the practices last season and will help build the foundation for the program. Costa is the lone member of the team with collegiate experience as she is a dual sport athlete participating on the women's lacrosse team in the spring.
"I'm very excited to get to do something new", said Costa. "It feels like being a part of history and I am so excited to get out there with the team on Friday."
"Preseason went very well", said Soto. "We have been together every single day and we are building those great connections that all close teams have. We are so really excited to get out there for our first official game."
SEASON OUTLOOK
The Hawks field hockey team has 15 games on the inaugural schedule with seven overall home contests in 2025. Hartford will kick off the season at home against Elms College on August 29th as part of a four-game home stand to start the year. Overall, the Hawks will have nine games take place in the state of Connecticut.
The Conference of New England season starts on September 13
th when the Hawks host Western New England University at 11:00 AM. Other key conference matchups include September 20
th at Endicott College, September 27
th versus Roger Williams University and on October 11
th at new CNE member Johnson & Wales University. Additionally, Hartford will be hosting a Hawktober game on October 4
th against Gordon College at 12:00 PM.
All home games will be live streamed on the
CNE Network powered by HUDL, while other game coverage can be found on the schedule home page.
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