Ellie Quinn hears the noise.

“It’s funny, most of the smack comes from our own school,” the Skowhegan field hockey captain said. “It’s nothing new, we’ve heard smack since Day 1.”

It’s been somewhat of a rough start to the 2024 season for the River Hawks, (6-2), who sank Camden Hills 3-1 on Monday afternoon.

Skowhegan, which has won 20 Class A titles since 1991, has dropped at least two games in a season just twice since 2016. It entered play Monday sitting fourth in A North Heal points — an unfamiliar spot for a program that has dominated the sport for decades.

So, is this the year that Class A North is wide open? Many coaches in the division said it’s too early — and unwise — to write Skowhegan off.

“If you see Skowhegan at No. 4, 3 or 2, anything but No. 1 is a different feel to it,” said Mt. Ararat coach Krista Chase, whose Eagles entered Monday sitting third in A North. “(Skowhegan) could be seeded 10th, and it could still find a way to make it to the state final. I think we all feel that way. It’s great to do what we can during the regular season, but it’s the playoff time that really matters.”

Added Messalonskee coach Katie Brann: “They take it to a new level in the playoffs. I’ve seen it as a player, and I’ve seen it as a coach. They’ve just been there so many times, and their coaching staff knows what to do. You can never count them out. I would expect them to be at the top until somebody knocks them off. … It’s hard to predict who are going to be those top two or four teams (in A North). Our game against Mt. Ararat was a 1-0 game. Us and Skowhegan was an overtime game. I think those top four teams are just really competitive. You’re not seeing the huge score differential that maybe you’ve seen in the past. Games are closer and that makes it more fun and makes it more competitive through the season.”

Skowhegan opened the season with a 3-2 overtime loss at Brewer. Last week, the River Hawks dropped a 2-1 double overtime game to rival Messalonskee in Oakland. It’s the second consecutive year the Eagles have defeated Skowhegan in a regular-season game. Messalonskee — which beat Bangor 6-0 on Monday afternoon to improve to 5-2 — entered the week as the No. 1 seed in A North.

“Since we were able to beat them once last year, there was a little more confidence going into it,” Brann said. “We’re a pretty veteran group, we have a lot of juniors on the team and a few seniors leading in the back. Also, a lot of the girls know the Skowhegan players from playing in the offseason. There’s not this wall between the two teams like maybe there was a few years ago. … We didn’t go (into the game) in super intimidated, and we knew we had nothing to lose. We knew it had been done and was possible.”

Skowhegan has four shutout victories this season, but the remaining three games have each been decided by one goal. The River Hawks have shown fight in close games, highlighted by a 2-1 victory over Mt. Blue on Saturday in Farmington. Up 2-0 at halftime, the River Hawks managed to hold off the Cougars late.

Skowhegan’s Katriel Garcia, right, defends Camden Hills’ Alison Sylvester during a field hockey game Monday in Skowhegan. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“It was definitely a bit more stressful than we planned to, but we worked really, really hard,” Quinn said after the game. “I’m proud of how we played.”

“We just learn from our mistakes and move on, and hopefully keep winning,” added senior captain Sophie Noyes.

Skowhegan players said Saturday that the team draws motivation from the doubters.

“We like it,” said senior captain Sydalia Savage. “We like to show up and get motivated from it.”

Skowhegan head coach Paula Doughty, who collected her 600th career victory last season, said this season’s group is mentally tough.

“This team has more get-up to them than any team,” Doughty said after the victory over Mt. Blue. “They can get beat and they just get up the next day (and work). We still make tons of mistakes. But they just don’t give up and they play hard and learn from their mistakes, and they don’t dwell on their mistakes. That’s the big thing. We have a lot of pressure on us. We lost two close overtime games, and it’s got to be on the back of their minds. But you can’t go there. The past is the past and you just move on. Just to keep their heads in the game, that makes a big difference.”

After the loss to Brewer, Skowhegan won four straight games, outscoring opponents by a 12-0 margin in the streak. The River Hawks bounced back from the Messalonskee loss with a victory over Mt. Blue.

“Every day, we come into (practices or games) with a really positive attitude,” Savage said. “We just have to show up, work hard and don’t let things drag us down and just be there to work together. Even if we have a couple of hiccups along the way, we’re going to show up and keep trying every single day and every single game.”

Skowhegan has just three returning starters. There are seven upperclassmen on the roster, five seniors and two juniors. The River Hawks have 16 underclassmen, including 12 sophomores.

“We’re a team,” Quinn said. “No matter how young we are, which doesn’t even matter, we have more heart than any other team.”