This marks the first season since 1976 that Bob Leib won't be coaching at least one of the soccer teams at the University of Maine at Farmington. Leib has led the women's team since 1996, but this fall he hands the program over to Molly Wilkie.

"I learned a lot from Coach Leib," Wilkie said. "He's definitely imparted a lot of wisdom to me. Generally, we're going to be playing the same style. We're going to look at trying to be more offensive."

The Beavers outscored their opponents 51-16 last season on their way to a 14-5-2 record. Wilkie said she is shifting some players to different positions, with good results so far.

"They've all been really open," she said. "I've talked with a lot of them about their new roles. It's a little nerve-wracking for them, but they're responding to the challenge."

UMF returns 16 players from last year's squad, which was undefeated in North Atlantic Conference play before falling to Husson in the NAC final. That group is led by back Katie Schwarz, midfielder/back Amanda Byrne of Winslow and outside halfback Julie Walters.

Those three will serve as tri-captains, with Heidi Jackson also providing strong defense.

The goalkeeper situation is still up in the air, but Wilkie said the starting job will go to either freshman Crystal Johnson, a Skowhegan graduate, or Brunswick grad McKell Barnes.

Chelsea Norton (12 goals, four assists last year as a freshman) returns on offense and will be joined on the forward line by Amber Murphy and Windsor native Melissa St. Amand.

"We've had a great preseason," said Wilkie, whose team opens its schedule Wednesday at Colby. "The ladies have been working really hard. My starting group, I'm really optimistic about, and the first-year kids that I have are doing a really good job of pushing the veterans in practice."

The men's soccer team also has a new coach, as Chris Parsons takes over for Jamie Beaudoin. The Beavers finished 6-5-6 last fall, allowing only 19 goals but scoring just 12 themselves in 17 games. Like Wilkie, Parsons wants to keep things essentially the same but add a little more offense.

"We're looking at trying to score more goals this year," Parsons said. "But the tradition of UMF soccer has always been strong defense, and that's where we're going to start from."

UMF opens its season at home at 4 p.m. today against Unity, and 12 of the 23 players on the roster are new to the program. Highlights among the newcomers include forward Sean Raph of Waterville, a transfer from UMaine, midfielder Dylan Morse and defenders Ronal Cabe (a Mt. Abram grad) and Daniel Horne.

Goalkeeper Brian Lemont returns after starting all 17 games last year and posting a 0.90 goals-against-average. Back Andrew Merriken is also a key man on defense.

The UMF field hockey team, which won the NAC title last season, also has a standout in goal, as Kaeleigh Barker returns for her fourth year as a starter. The Beavers have a young defense otherwise, but Erika Lucas and Samantha Kenison lend experience. "We're going to be young and pretty untested, except for our goalie," UMF coach Cyndi Pratt said. "I think a lot of our success will depend on Kaeleigh's success."

Other players to watch for the Beavers are forwards Elyse Cole of Winthrop, Andrea Tyler of Augusta and Mt. Blue grad Alyssa St. Pierre, and midfielders Beth Marshall and Ashley Wentworth. UMF had nine players score between three and seven goals last fall, and graduated leading scorer Kristin Chambers.

"This team certainly isn't going to be built around one superstar scorer," Pratt said.

The UMF men's and women's cross country teams both won the NAC championships last fall. The women could be even better this year after graduating just one runner from last season's roster. Emily Farley was the conference's Runner of the Year last fall as a sophomore.

The men's team should also be strong, as Tim Millett was the NAC's Runner of the Year as a freshman last season. The cross country teams open their seasons Sept. 13 with a meet at the University of New England.

The UMF women's volleyball team finished 10-14 last fall and graduated only Meagan Dube from that team. The Beavers opened their season Wednesday night against Husson and are in Waterville on Friday and Saturday for the Colby Invitational.

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com