ORONO – The University of Maine field hockey team reached unprecedented levels of success in the past two years, advancing all the way to the America East conference finals in 2002 and 2003.

If the Black Bears are to do it again this fall, it’ll have to be with just two players returning to the positions in which they started last season.

A young but talented Maine team will get two good tests immediately as the Bears open play Sunday at 11 a.m. against a tough Ohio State squad and then face Michigan, the No. 3 team in the nation, Tuesday at 3 p.m. Both games are at Alfond Stadium in Orono.

The Bears were picked fourth in the conference preseason poll.

“That’s probably … right where we should be and almost a little bit of a compliment,” said coach Terry Kix, who is entering her 14th season. “But I think we can play with the top teams.”

The Black Bears had a stellar 2003 campaign, finishing the season with a 14-5 record, including a 7-0 mark at home. Maine lost the conference championship game 2-0 to New Hampshire.

The Bears lost first-team all-conference players Karly Bundy, Rebecca Ouellet and Jaye Lance and second-teamer Karen Magno. The graduations hit hard: Bundy was the center midfielder and second-leading scorer, Lance started 18 games in goal, Magno was the third-leading scorer and Ouellet started on the back line.

“[The conference title] is always the goal that we’re shooting for but as a team we’re just looking for people to fill spots as best they can,” said senior captain Liz Mendell, a defender from Palmyra.

“It’s pretty important we find the right people to play those spots,” senior forward Rachael Hilgar added. “We can’t really wait around on that.”

The Bears do return leading scorer Hilgar (12 goals, six assists), a second-team all-conference forward.

Hilgar gets the start in the left attack position. Old Town’s Shaunessy Saucier will start in the center attack spot and Tracy Rainone (6 & 2) will be on the right side of the attack.

The starting midfield will feature former Winslow stars Katie Flaherty (left mid) and Amie Dubois (center mid) and Winthrop High grad Emily Dooling (right mid). Dubois recorded a team-high eight assists last year and Dooling had six.

The back line features Jill Rosick at left defense, Meg Connolly at center and Jo Fernandes at right. Mendell will be the starting sweeper and Jamie Morin of Winslow gets the start in goal.

Morin didn’t get much playing time last year with three appearances, including one start. She gave up two goals and had a 2.41 GAA.

“We’re very inexperienced right now because we’ve done a lot of maneuvering,” Kix said. “A lot of people are starting out with a lack of experience in that position. We’ve had to adapt a lot.”

The back line may get more looks at the goal as the Bears move to an offense-minded defense.

“When you’ve lost as much defense as we have, you’ve got to score goals,” Kix said. “We have a very attacking lineup we can utilize quite a bit.”

Forwards Kirsten Costa and Kasey Spencer of Old Town will be key backups up front, although Spencer is just returning from a sprained ankle she suffered just as practice started late this summer. She appeared in 20 games last year and started seven.