After two shutout victories in a row, Dartmouth High School’s field hockey team is off to a commanding start. 

The team took out Middleboro High School in a 5-0 game to start the season, then beat Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School 1-0 on Sept. 11. 

With 12 returning seniors and only two players missing from last year, Dartmouth has an experienced group wearing green this year, which might help them reach further into the state tournament than last year, when they suffered a disappointing loss in the first round. 

“We had a really good team last year, so I’m hoping to kind of continue from that point and get even better,” said head coach Beth Arguin. “I think they’re a talented group of kids, they’re hard workers and I believe their goal is to go as far as they can in the state tournament.”

Dartmouth High School finished last year strong with 11 wins, 2 losses and 5 ties. While the team kept losses at a minimum, Arguin said the ties hurt them a bit. 

While the experienced team means potential success this year, next year could be tricky. 

“The majority of the team is gonna be missing next season, but I don’t want to think that far ahead yet,” Arguin said. “I’m hoping we just kind of take it day by day, game by game and hopefully end up with a successful season.”

Key players on the field this season will include Grace Haskell, Samantha Souza, Kallie Rose and Kaelyn Zuber, all of whom are “leaders on the field,” Arguin said. 

“I think they can help make the kids around them better,” Arguin said. “They have a good sense of the game, they can see the field, they can make things happen.”

While field hockey’s not quite as popular as football or soccer, more and more players are getting involved younger, Arguin said. 

“When I started, I didn’t touch a field hockey stick until I was a freshman in high school,” Arguin said. “Now these kids, especially in Dartmouth, are starting … very young.”

Part of that growth, at least in Dartmouth, is due to the Dartmouth Girls Athletic League, a recreational program that gets kids involved as early as Kindergarten. DGAL hosted their field hockey opening day Sept. 10. 

“We are probably one of the biggest feeder programs in the area,” said DGAL co-commissioner Nicole Mello.  

Haskell, now a senior, played DGAL field hockey growing up, Mello said. 

Dartmouth High School continues its season Sept. 13 in a 6 p.m. away game against Brockton High School. The next home game will take place Sept. 15 against New Bedford High School at 3:30 p.m.

“They are a dedicated group of girls,” Arguin said. “For some of them, it’s gonna be their last season in hockey, so I’m hoping that they utilize their team … knowing that it is possibly their last.”