For the first time in 28 years, there’s a new face behind the Quinnipiac field hockey bench.
Welcome to the Nina Klein era.
Fall 2023 is a new beginning for Bobcat field hockey. Following the retirement of the program’s day-one architect Becca Main, Klein’s Bobcats represent a blank slate. However, the pressure is high as familiar foes and new matchups await.
Last year saw history made with multiple wins over ranked opponents despite an unsatisfactory 8-11 final record. Quinnipiac joined the BIG EAST in 2016, but no tournament berths have come since. With Klein’s squad voted seventh of eight teams in this year’s BIG EAST preseason poll, what can the Bobcats bring to the table to break the drought?
THE TEAM:
Pivotal on offense, 2023 Preseason BIG EAST Co-Midfielder of the Year Stella Tegtmeier headlines the returners to the squad.
Tegtmeier’s speed and playmaking skills are undeniable. After posting a career-high eight goals and eight assists last year – a performance that earned her first-team All-Big East honors last fall – her ability to carry balls and set up shots will be relied on in her graduate season.
Behind Tegtmeier on the 2022 scoresheet was Argentinian forward Emilia Massarelli. She seeks a strong junior campaign after being named to last year’s All BIG EAST Second Team.
No player had a bigger breakout last season than Lucia Pompeo, who is poised to take another step forward. The Gorham, Maine native recorded seven goals and two assists as a sophomore, and now has the opportunity to play alongside her sister, Sophia Pompeo, the Bobcats’ newest graduate transfer from Providence College.
Young talent is also on the rise on the Bobcats, such as starting netminder Cristina Torres, St. Joseph’s transfer Mo Quaile, and a class of four new incoming first years.
Finally, no team is complete without veteran leadership. Team captains Julianna Capello, Olivia Howard, and Micaela Grajales will guide the locker room on and off the field as the Bobcats gear up for 2023.
THE COACHES:
Few understand how to win in Big East field hockey better than Klein. She can point to the three national titles she led UConn during her time as the team’s keeper in 2013, 2014 and 2017.
Klein joined Quinnipiac in 2018 as a volunteer assistant coach after wrapping up her playing career, and Main took her under her wing. After departing for a year’s stint as assistant coaching at Boston College, Klein returned to Hamden to succeed Main as the second head coach in program history.
Supporting her as assistants are the returning Abby Lucas and newcomer Madison Skeie. Lucas, Klein’s former backup keeper and teammate during UConn’s undefeated 2017 national title run, will spend her second year at Quinnipiac developing the backfield and goalie room.
Skeie comes to Quinnipiac from Monmouth University, where she coached for two seasons. The former Providence Friar led the Hawks to a 10-win season in 2022.
THE SCHEDULE:
Klein has revealed a slate of 18 games with 11 home dates.
The season begins on August 25 at New Hampshire, a team Quinnipiac fell to in last year’s season opener. UMass Amherst, a skilled team that finished No. 19 nationally in last year’s NCAA Field Hockey RPI, will be the Bobcats’ home opener on August 27.
Conference play starts on September 15 on the road against Providence, a homecoming for the newly transferred older Pompeo sister. The BIG EAST slate continues the following week on September 22 in Hamden against Villanova.
October is the month of home-field advantage for Nina Klein’s squad as eight of the last nine games on the schedule will be played at home, including key games with cornerstone BIG EAST opponents like Liberty and UConn.
Senior day will be celebrated at home on October 22 against Lafayette before the year’s last regular season conference game in Hamden, a bout with the Temple Owls that may turn out to be paramount for tournament seeding.
The slate closes at home with a match versus Drexel on October 29th before the BIG EAST tournament is slated to begin in early November in Philadelphia.
Time will tell if the Bobcats can break through the glass ceiling of the BIG EAST in 2023, but the Quinnipiac field hockey team is one to watch in the new era. They vow to be a tough team to play against and beat.
Change is here in Hamden, and the next chapter is Klein’s to write.
