Over the last few seasons, Northeastern’s field hockey team has had a disappointing track record, ending 5-14 in 2022 and 7-12 in 2021. However, this past offseason, the promotion of Pam Spuehler to head coach and the additions of Colin Clarke as associate head coach and Cheri Schulz as assistant coach have already led the Huskies to five wins in 11 games — with six still left in the season.
Spuehler arrived at Northeastern in 2018 as an associate head coach. As a former collegiate player at Boston University, she brought a plethora of experience to the Huskies. Spuehler helped the Terriers win three consecutive conference titles and was the first player to be given first-team America East All-Conference honors for all four years.
As associate head coach, Spuehler helped lead Northeastern’s team to three CAA tournament appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2022. However, the Huskies haven’t made it to the finals since 2019. Last year, the Huskies fell in a disheartening 6-1 loss against Delaware in the semifinals.
In February, Jim Madigan, Northeastern’s director of athletics and recreation, named Spuehler as the fifth head coach of Husky field hockey.
“It was somewhat surreal, just because it happened pretty quickly,” Spuehler said of her promotion. “But I’m very fortunate to be a part of the program still in a different role, but with the same group of characters, if you will.”
Spuehler described her time as a part of Northeastern field hockey and coaching the talented players as gratifying.
“It has been rewarding in lots of ways, but also just very fun to watch [the players] grow,” she said. “They’re just becoming different people, kind of right before your eyes.”
Spuehler has openly embraced the head coach role and recognized that it is a learning curve.
“I told the girls it was time to embrace change. I was going to run practices differently. I was going to create and help navigate new standards and expectations for our program,” she said. “I don’t want to say [it was] a seamless transition, but [the team] just really went with it. And they’ve committed to it.”
In April 2023, Colin Clarke was introduced as associate head coach of the field hockey team. Before his introduction to Northeastern, Clarke worked as the head of field hockey at Nottingham Trent University, or NTU, in England for seven years. Within his first five years at NTU, Clarke transformed the men’s team from ranking outside of the top 20 to first in the league. Under his leadership, NTU’s men’s squad reached the British Universities and Colleges Sport championship for the first time in program history.
“One of the best things about [Clarke] is that he’s been a part of programs that have already been successful in the past,” Spuehler said. “[Clarke has] created a new excitement around the sport because we’re all looking at it differently now.”
Clarke also brings an international perspective to the team. Alongside his time at NTU, he has coached players from Ireland and Great Britain, many of whom are now playing professionally.
“The international flair that coach Colin brings to the table — we’re definitely trying to just really embrace it and just kind of see if that’s the type of play that we will benefit from,” said Caroline Sweeney, a senior midfielder/back and team captain. “Being able to be open-minded and work with Colin, to bring in that kind of new side of play, I think is definitely going to be beneficial for us.”
In addition to Clarke, Spuehler brought on Cheri Shultz from the University of Connecticut. Schulz served as assistant coach for UConn for over two decades, from 2001-2023, and helped lead the team to three national championships.
Since the new staff additions, the Huskies have noticed a massive difference in the team culture and coaching styles.
“It’s definitely been a big shift for us to share with three new coaches,” said Lauren Rowe, a graduate student midfielder/back and captain. “It’s been a challenge for everyone; it’s pushed us but pushing us in the right direction as a program.”
Sweeney added that Spuehler’s elevation to head coach instilled a fear of the unknown into the team.
“No one knew how that transition would go,” she said. “But so far, it’s been very smooth. She’s really been just kind of taking the role and running with it, which is just really encouraging to see on the field and off the field.”
The last few years for the program were challenging, Rowe said. With COVID-19 and injuries affecting the lineups, the Huskies faced difficult losses. In 2021, before its 5-14 season, Northeastern went 7-12.
When Sweeney joined Northeastern’s squad, it was veteran-heavy, and few rookies got a chance on the field.
“I think that we’re finally, this year, coming to a point where everyone has had experience on the field,” she said. “It’s evident to see just through the style of play.”
Now, the Huskies are starting to find their groove — due in part to their age, but also the new coaching styles.
“We’re just playing a different style of [field] hockey,” Rowe, who sat out last season due to injury, said. “It’s way more aggressive, we’re playing more cohesive [field] hockey … the tools we’ve been provided with the new coaches just made a significant impact.”
After a loss to Louisville, ranked ninth nationally at the time, in their season opener, the Huskies went on to win four games in a row.
“To get four wins at the beginning of the season was a big confidence boost for us and a nice build up at the beginning of the season,” Rowe said.
As veterans, Rowe and Sweeney have embraced their leadership role as captains and older team members. Clarke and Spuehler rely on them to reinforce their messages to the team in and out of practice. Fluidity and player leadership were struggles for the team in past seasons, but Sweeney and Rowe have already worked to change that.
“We’ve definitely been challenged a lot more with our hockey IQ and knowledge, individually,” Rowe said. “Something we’ve really focused on this year is our individual responsibility and how we have to know our roles. And everyone has to know the plan inside out and the tactics.”
After their four-win streak, the Huskies faced tough competition against talented out-of-conference teams and William & Mary, ranked second in the Coastal Athletic Association, or CAA, leading to four losses in a row. The next week, the team came together to bounce back after the losses, beating Towson University 6-1.
“This past week, we really honed in on what we could control,” Spuehler said. “I think the girls just prepared for [the game] every day this past week, and it really showed [that day].”
With three home games left at Dedham Field this season, all being conference play, the Huskies are anxious to build their momentum up again and finish the 2023 campaign strong, and they’re well on their way. On Oct. 6, the team had their first win against Delaware since 2012, a huge boost for the final five games left in the season.
The team and its new coaches have one goal this year: to be CAA champions.
“So as a team goal, the big overarching goal is CAA champions this year. That’s the pinnacle of the season,” Rowe said. “It’s also very encouraging to see when I’m playing and look over the sideline and see familiar faces or even some unfamiliar faces that are just interested in the game and learning more.”
The team’s senior day is Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. at Dedham Field, and they hope to see as many fans that are able to make it.
This team is “kind of the start of new history here at Northeastern, and I’m super proud of them already,” Speuhler said. “And there’s just so much more to come. So stay tuned.”
