Windham High varsity field hockey preparing for 2025 season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity field hockey team has been preparing for the fall season all summer long and they are ready and excited to start their preseason on Aug. 18; with the regular season beginning on Sept. 5. The team has a new coach this season, Maddy Perfetti, a graduate of Colby College.

Windham sophomore Mia Kri, left, goes after the ball in a
prep field hockey game against Noble at Windham High
School in August 2024. The WHS varsity field hockey
team has been establishing their skills over the summer
as they prepare for the start of a new season.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We’ve done a lot of basic stick work and talked through a bunch of field awareness so I think coming into the fall we can focus more on strategic and elevated things,” said Windham senior Abby Trainor. “Our team will definitely be very young; I think it helps with the majority of our team being underclassman; there’s a lot of room for growth through the season.”

Trainor said Perfetti brings new skills and ideas to their play. Perfetti has helped elevate their play because she’s very knowledgeable. Perfetti has introduced new stick work drills through the summer that helps their stick work in tight spaces and short distances. They will definitely have success this season and Trainor can’t wait to start competing.

“Being a young team, and losing a strong class of 2025, I am learning what gaps we need to fill–whether that's a leadership role off the field or in the backfield, all roles are up for redefining,” said Perfetti. “Through the summer I saw girls trying out these potentially new roles while also being open to my coaching style and approach to the game.”

The summer was an opportunity for the players and its new coach to bond as well as the players to start to coalesce on the field. They’ve made some good progress.

“Getting the team together early in the summer, definitely helps bond the team and get us more comfortable before the regular season,” said Windham junior Sarah Smyth. “It is important to get to know ... players before jumping into the season. It also helps us get well conditioned and in shape before preseason week and the regular season. I have seen the team’s overall skills improve with every practice and summer game. Communication is a big part of the game, and at the beginning of the season it was difficult to communicate with new teammates, but the more games we played we got more comfortable with communicating and learning how everyone plays.”

According to Smyth, it is really cool to experience different coaching styles. Since Perfetti played at Colby College, a lot of the drills they do are unique from past seasons and very effective. Smyth said she realized she (wants) to be a leader and is happy to step into that role and be a good example for the underclassmen.

“The team improved a lot over the summer,” said Perfetti. “There are a group of committed members to the team that showed up to three sessions a week for the whole summer. This progress will only continue through the fall season. The summer is an opportunity for the girls to prepare for the fall season, and it is up to them how much they utilize that. We spent time playing together in a low-stakes environment this summer in an effort to build relationships between the girls that were there. I would say this was a success. Preseason will take on a new energy with very intentional team building. My goals as a coach are to create an environment where players can be themselves, compete with intensity, and care about winning.” <