UMass Lowell field hockey is ready to get the ball rolling on the program’s 50th anniversary season. The new campaign kicks off at home on Friday, August 29 against local foe Merrimack under the lights at 7 p.m. before the River Hawks welcome Massachusetts to Wicked Blue Field for a Kennedy Cup Clash at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31.

In addition to celebrating both Team 50 and the history of the program all season, the River Hawks have several other milestones to look forward to, including playing on a brand new turf and LeBlanc attaining her 300th career win, as the veteran coach heads into her 24th season just three wins away from that mark. 

“We are certainly going to miss the OG, our first Wicked Blue Field," commented LeBlanc. "The energy she provided for twelve years was awesome. She was our beginning, and we have some special memories that occurred on that original field. The new field is absolutely gorgeous. We’ve only been on it for a short time, but it’s playing beautifully and we couldn’t be more excited to get on it for a game.”

In 2024, the team broke into the national rankings for the second consecutive year and turned in its third straight double-digit win season backed by a perfect, 9-0 record at home and a pair of wins against Power Four opponents. However, LeBlanc is excited by the new energy she has seen throughout the preseason thanks to a mix that includes returning graduate students, a strong true senior class and nine newcomers.

“A major key to success this season will be getting our first years up to our speed of play," explained LeBlanc. "Our core group returned in fantastic fitness shape and with this competitive mindset that they have something to prove this year, so I believe our success will be defined by how well we integrate all of our players to level up to our speed of play. We want to play fast, and I think within our conference, speed is necessary. Another important factor will be our attack; we’ve got to score some goals. Goal scoring is really something we have been keying in on this preseason.”

LeBlanc is happy with the leadership she has returning in all areas, starting with the backfield, where graduate students Cate Kleeman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) and Aurise Tattrie (Watertown, Mass.), along with senior Maggie Dowd (Worcester, Mass.) are all back after helping to limit opponents to just a .528 shots on goal percentage in 2024.

In the midfield, the River Hawks are going to rely heavily on sophomores Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium). Kerkhof, who was named to the 2025 America East Preseason All-Conference Team, logged five goals and six assists for 16 points in her rookie campaign. Van Hemelen appeared in 14 games last year, logging one goal and providing a big piece to the defensive unit. 

On the attack, Preseason All-Conference selection, senior Madison Leeper (Amherst, N.Y.), will lead the way, having paced the River Hawks in goals and points for the last two seasons. Her 13 goals and 26 points in 2024 helped earn her All-Conference and All-Region honors. Junior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) is looking ahead to another strong season, coming off of a 19-point campaign, while senior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) will also bring energy and leadership to the front line after missing the 2024 season. Both Leeper and Clarke were named to the NFHCA Watch List for 2025.

Four of the River Hawks' opponents for the upcoming season have earned a spot in the Preseason NFHCA Coaches' Poll, with Harvard checking in at No. 6, followed by No. 14 Massachusetts, No. 18 UAlbany and No. 20 Wake Forest. 

“We really want to get on the field to see how our summer training went, how our preseason went, and I think we’ll have a lot of good feedback, both critical feedback and positive feedback, that we can take quick steps early in the season to make sure we take care of the games we’re supposed to take care of,” stated LeBlanc.