FARMINGTON — When Jenna Bullen and Taylor Hollingdale joined the Mt. Blue field hockey team as freshmen, the Cougars were coming off a 2-12 season in Eastern A. Their first year, Mt. Blue went 4-9-1 in Class B.
The Cougars are back in Class A, and this year, in large part because of Bullen and Hollingdale, they’re 10-4 and the No. 4 seed in Eastern A. Mt. Blue hosts No. 5 Cony in an Eastern A quarterfinal on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
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Hollingdale has been Mt. Blue’s center midfielder for three years, often with Bullen, her good friend, at right midfielder. This season, Mt. Blue coach Jody Harmon moved Bullen to center back.
“We just needed a stronghold on our defense,” Harmon said. “Whitney (Levesque), our goalie, is a sophomore. We lost three really key defensive players to our senior class. So in order to solidify our defense, I needed to make sure that I had someone there that I knew would take a hold of the defense.
“Would she rather be playing middie? Most definitely. But when I explained to her why, and what we needed as a team, she did it. She’s just a great kid overall and a great team player, so she’s willing to do what it took.”
“I never really played defense,” Bullen said. “Being a midfielder, I kind of played defense, but this was actually real defense, like not allowing the ball in. I didn’t mind. We lost a lot of defense last year — that’s why she put me back. It’s worked pretty well for me.”
Hollingdale also enjoys playing midfield, and she has the skills to play both offense and defense, as well as be a strong leader in the middle of the field.
“She’s had lots of injuries with her shins this year, and she’s always had that,” Harmon said. “She basically had the flu against Oxford Hills and it was her best game ever. She’s just got a lot of heart, and when she puts it out there, she puts it all on the field. So even when she’s hurt or injured, when you take her out, you feel that she’s gone.”
Though they play different positions with different roles, Hollingdale and Bullen have similar skills sets — to the point where sometimes they’re interchangeable.
“With both of them, their drives are unbelievable,” Harmon said. “If Taylor or Jenna gets ready to go for a drive, the rest of the team is like, ‘Move out of the way, ‘ because they’ve been hit so many times. It does not feel good.”
If Hollingdale ever needs a break, Bullen notices, and Bullen moves to center mid, with Hollingdale at center back.
“Me and Jenna work really well together,” Hollingdale said. “So if she gets winded, I’ll go up. And if I get winded, she’ll go up. It’s really nice to have that, because then you can just get a minute breather and then you can go back. Center back’s the same; it’s just not as much running, and you’re basically playing defense, and not offense.”
“First of all, we have a really close bond,” Bullen said. “I know where she is when I have the ball, because I know she’s going to be there for a pass. And she knows if she comes back, that I’ll be right up for a pass. It works well together.”
The Cougars are 30-14 with Harmon coaching, and another sign of progress is that the players finally have their own home field at the school. Previously, Mt. Blue practiced on a small, unlined field.
“There was just two goals on each end, and we just kind of had to think about where the lines were,” Bullen said.
In those days, the Cougars played their home games at UMaine-Farmington’s Prescott Field.
“It’s a much different vibe, because it’s our home field, like this is our field,” Bullen said. “During the games, for me, it’s so much more intense, because we’re not playing at Prescott. Everyone loves the field. It’s such a nice field.”
After they graduate, Bullen and Hollingdale want to play field hockey in college, and both are planning on attending the University of Maine at Farmington.
“I just love playing field hockey,” Hollingdale said. “It makes me happy, honestly. It gives me something to do.”
“We just kind of both thought about it together, because it’s our hometown,” Bullen said. “I’d love to play for the Beavers, and we both love field hockey so we were just like, ‘Let’s do it together.'”
Harmon feels that wherever Hollingdale and Bullen end up playing field hockey their coach will be fortunate to have them.
“They still haven’t even reached their potential,” Harmon said. “I think that’s the biggest thing about them. They’re humble, and I don’t think they really realize how good they are, and how much better they can be. There’s so much potential still there. They have a lot to give to a team.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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