Keene State Field Hockey has accumulated a record of 5-2 through its first seven games, cruising into its first conference games of the season. The impressive start comes in the first season of Head Coach Leslie Smith and Assistant Coach Olivia Geniti, a complete turnover of the coaching staff from last season.
Smith replaced Amy Watson as the Owls’ head coach after Watson coached for 36 seasons, accumulating over 500 wins, 12 Little East Conference (LEC) titles and 14 NCAA playoff berths.
Smith was selected to succeed Watson in January, according to an LEC press release. Smith most recently coached as the assistant coach at the University of Maine (UMaine), where she helped lead the Black Bears to three consecutive tournament appearances in the Division I America East Conference. The role is Smith’s first time as head coach.
Smith started preparing for the 2026 season soon after being hired and said she tried to establish player connections early. “First things first was really just establishing relationships with not only the players on the team, but the people in the community. After establishing those relationships, getting to know the team, we talked about, I think, five different questions that had to do with the program, like ‘where do you want to see this program go? What traditions are important for you guys to keep? What are our strengths on the field?’”
Geniti, a recent graduate of UMaine, said that she likes the different environment of Keene State, a school a fifth the size of UMaine. “It’s definitely a community, and it feels very personal,” said Geniti. “Everyone’s out here supporting everyone. You see athletes from all sports coming to watch our games, and it just seems like a very tight-knit community.”
Strategy-wise, Smith said the team is focused on playing a “connected game” of field hockey. “We’re trying [to see] how much we can move the ball to each other,” Smith said. “Defensively, we’re trying to play a team defense, so we can get multiple numbers around the ball versus being a one-on-one type of team.”
The Owls had a chance to test their strategy and began the season with an away win over Rivier College, ripping into the Raiders 9-2 for the away opener. A closer victory followed against another in-state opponent in New England College, a home opener match won by Keene State 3-2. The Owls followed up with another tear against Fitchburg State University, winning 5-1 and scoring 17-5 on aggregate through their first three matches.
After the strong open, Keene State ran into a wall against Westfield State University, narrowly squeezing out a 4-3 win. The Owls took their first losses soon after to Colby Sawyer College and Western New England University, losing 3-2 and 1-0, respectively.
Despite the loss, Smith was positive about how the Owls played against Western New England. “I think [that game] was a great example of our style of hockey,” Smith said. “The result wasn’t what we wanted, but we played a really good game of field hockey.”
The Owls entered Little East Conference (LEC) play against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, sinking the Corsairs 7-0 with five different goal scorers. After the win, Keene State takes a two-week break from LEC opponents before facing perennial rivals Plymouth State University on Oct. 2.
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
