Gracie Moore has always wanted to play college field hockey.
The Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield standout who set a new school record for goals scored in a season will have that opportunity after she signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Bentley University in the fall on a partial athletic scholarship.
Bentley, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, is an NCAA Division II school that plays in the Northeast-10 Conference.
The Falcons went 14-6 this past season, 12-2 in the conference, and earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in 12 years. They lost in the first round to East Stroudsburg 2-1.
Moore said she also considered Division I New Hampshire but chose Bentley for a number of reasons.
“The coach [Jessica Spencer] is really nice. I loved the campus and Bentley has a very good business school and that’s what I want to study,” said Moore, who set the school record for goals in a season this past fall with 40. She also had more than 10 assists.
She led the Huskies to the Class C North championship and an appearance in the state title game where they lost to Winthrop 3-2.
MCI finished with a 15-2 record.
Moore said she felt comfortable talking to Spencer and that the Bentley coach reminds her a lot of her high school coach, Nancy Hughes.
Hughes said earlier this fall that Moore has a number of attributes that enabled her to set the school record for goals.
“Gracie has a nose for the goal and is so determined to score. She is very fast, she has excellent stick skills, she sees the field well and she has a rocket of a shot,” Hughes said.
Moore credited her teammates with making her record-setting season a reality.
“I couldn’t have done it without their support,” said Moore.
Moore is a multi-sport athlete who also plays volleyball and softball and runs indoor track.
The daughter of Woody and Becky Moore said she is looking forward to going to Bentley and that it doesn’t matter to her where they use her on the field.
“I will play anywhere,” she said.
