Opening Day

Opening Day

Three new coaches, two of whom will lead the soccer programs. One new playing facility. With the dawn of a new sports season upon us, change is in the air at the University of New England.

New field hockey coach Jane Hurt traversed the Atlantic to take over UNE's highly-successful program. A native of England, Hurt boasts an impressive playing and coaching resume. She assumes the post previously held by Joan Howard, who has moved over to the administrative side of collegiate athletics.

Heather Davis will be at the head of the bench for the women's soccer team. Davis, a highly-accomplished leader who had previously been at NCAA Division II Lock Haven and the prestigious NCAA Division III institution Carnegie Mellon, carries with her 12 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level. She fills the void created when Doug Biggs retired last January after piling up 180 wins in 20 seasons at UNE.

The other new addition to the Nor'easters' coaching staff is head men's soccer coach Matt Gnall. Gnall comes to Biddeford from Williams College, where he helped oversee a team that advanced to last season's NCAA Division III national semifinal. He brings with him experience with some of the most elite programs in the nation - both as a player at Wesleyan and a coach at Williams. Gnall takes over for Andy Biggs, who left UNE in June to become an assistant at Brown. The Nor'easters are coming off a 10-win season, their highest win output since the 1997 campaign.

Perhaps the most exciting development in recent months is the completion of the synthetic turf field. The field hockey squad christened the complex this morning with its initial training session. Players and fans will be treated to a first-rate playing surface, bleacher seating for more than 550, and a state-of-the art PA and sound system.

While summer is vacation time for many, things have been busy on the beautiful UNE campus.

Games get underway Sept. 1 when the field hockey team hosts Southern Maine at 4 p.m. on the Big Blue Turf, followed by a men's soccer game with Thomas (7 p.m.) at Barbara J. Hazard Field.