After a bumpy start to the season, the Conant field hockey team seems to have righted the ship with a win over Stevens on Monday.
“I think that we’re finally coming together,” Oriole coach Jess Moore said after the 2-1 win. “Our fitness levels are a lot better than they were to start the season. Anything that we can be doing to really strengthen our hockey IQ is, I think, where we’re getting stuck.”
Conant shut out Newport 4-0 in their second game of the season, but aside from that, the Orioles had been outscored 25-0 in their other four contests, albeit against four of the division’s top five teams in Mascenic, Gilford, Newfound and Kearsarge.
Tuesday’s win was a welcome change for the black-and-orange.
“Compared to the first couple games of the season to now, I’ve seen huge growth in all of the girls,” senior captain and defensive anchor Mia Lambert said after the game. “I feel like each girl is gaining more confidence, and we’re learning how to work with each other better and using the skills that we know.”
The Orioles certainly have the potential to be contenders. Forward Brianne Dupuis, who had two goals Monday, along with Autumn Burgoyne, Mabel Bergeron and Evelyn Desmarais keep the pressure on up front. The team couldn’t ask for a stronger midfielder than Reagan Boudreau, who knocks down every high pass attempt and pursues every 50/50 ball with a snarl. Get it past Boudreau and Caroline Weinhold, and Lambert’s waiting in the back along with Siiri Sulin. To top it off, goalkeeper Gretchen Somero is excellent.
“Our three lines are pretty solid this year,” Moore said. “We’ve had a lot of consistency and a lot of girls returning from past years. To have the girls know where each other are spatially on the field and be able to rely on each other can really be deafening to the other team, especially when we have someone like Reagan who’s so strong in the center and who wants every single ball.”
Siiri Sulin is locked in. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Teammates celebrate with keeper Gretchen Somero. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Brianne Dupuis (14) couldn’t knock this one in, but she was in the Stevens goal mouth all afternoon. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Conant goalkeeper Gretchen Somero takes in instruction at the half. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Conant midfielder Reagan Boudreau battles for the ball during the Oriole field hockey team’s 2-1 win over visiting Stevens in Jaffrey on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Mia Lambert sends the ball ahead. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
Conant’s Caroline Weinhold with the ball. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript 
The ball from Brianne Dupuis gets past Stevens keeper Narcissa Paligo for Conant’s first goal. Credit: BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript
It looked good on Monday; if anything, the Orioles left too many goals on the table, as they had many more opportunities than the two they converted.
Now is the time for Conant to improve upon its 2-4 record, as only one of its next six opponents has a winning season so far. Aside from 4-3-1 Berlin, the Orioles have five games against Monadnock, Mascoma and Pelham, who have a combined 4-17 record. Then, it’s undefeated No. 1 Hopkinton, the only team to deal Mascenic a loss this season.
If Conant can get to that game on a hot streak, anything could happen.
“We have a really strong group of girls,” Lambert said. “I know we could do anything if we put our mind to it. We just have to want it and be hungry for it. All of us are very skilled. We know how to play field hockey. We just have to put our minds to it at the end of the day.”
Conant hosts Mascoma Valley Thursday at 4 p.m. The Orioles will welcome back co-coach Ashley Lingerman, who’s been out following the birth of her son.