AMHERST — The start of the fall season officially marks the beginning of the UMass athletic programs’ farewell campaign through the Atlantic 10, as the Minutemen and Minutewomen will join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) following the conclusion of this academic year.

The women’s soccer team starts its season on Thursday, the men’s soccer team opens next week, while the field hockey team plays its first friendly match a week from Wednesday (their season opener is not until August 31).

Each of the three teams had a winning record in 2023, and they all have something in common in 2024. That is, their returning age and experience should help them achieve similar success — if not greater success — this fall.

Here is a quick overview of each team and how they are doing in their final year in the A-10:

Men’s football

Two words are likely to excite Minutemen fans in 2024: Alec Hughes.

The graduate striker was named a Third Team All-American as a senior in 2023 and opted to return to Amherst for another year this fall. Hughes scored 15 goals for UMass, the most on the team, and was named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year as well as the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year. The player who came closest to Hughes’ 15 goals was Nick Zielonka with six, so the veteran’s return was essential to the Minutemen offense.

Midfielders Mike Willis and Andrew Ortiz both return after strong seasons in which they combined for a dozen points and scored two goals each, and are expected to take another leap this season under head coach Fran O’Leary, who recorded his 300th career win last year against Providence.

Juniors Aiden Kelly and Alex Brown and senior Brad Moccio started all 18 games on defense for the Minutemen a year ago, and all three are back. Junior midfielder Matt Cence started eight games, junior Bryant Keeney started six games, as did sophomore defenseman Shane Velez.

UMass is bringing back a lot of players who have a lot of playing experience, but their roles will not only be more clearly defined, they will also be much more important.

The biggest void to fill is the one left by Matt Zambetti in goal. Zambetti started 17 of the Minutemen’s 19 games, posting three shutouts. Alex Geczy and Lance McGrane are two seniors ready to step into the spotlight and perhaps share time in the box. They each started once in 2023 and each allowed one goal.

UMass, which went 7-6-6 (4-3-1 A-10) last season, hosts non-conference opponents Providence, Holy Cross, UMass Lowell and Brown throughout the season. The Minutemen defeated Saint Louis in a shootout in the first round of the 2023 Atlantic 10 tournament before losing 3-1 to VCU. Hughes and Co. are eager to get back there in 2024.

Season opening: Thursday, August 22 in Siena (5pm)

Women’s football

Similar to the men’s side, the women’s side returns its leading scorer in Bella Recinos. Her seven goals were part of her team-high 19 points, and the veteran midfielder is expecting another strong year under head coach Jason Dowiak this fall.

Senior forward Ashley Lamond is also back after scoring five goals and a dozen points, while senior forward Emma Pedolzky (eight points), sophomore forward Grace Pinkus (six points), junior forward Nia Hislop (six points) and senior forward Chandler Pedolzky (five points) all return to the Minutewomen lineup. The Pedolzky twins are Westfield natives and played at Westfield High School.

This is a team that went 9-5-4 (6-2-2 A-10) and 6-1-1 at home in 2023. They have the potential to be very, very good in the Atlantic 10 again.

The offense should be dynamic with this crop of players with a knack for scoring goals. The Minutewomen scored multiple goals in half of their games last year, and most of those players return—a whopping nine of UMass’ top 10 scorers will be back in the maroon and white.

On defense, senior Juliana Ryan (15 games), midfielder Ella Curry (17 games), defender Hannah Peric (18 games) and midfielder Kelly Pease (15 games) started the majority of UMass’ games last year, and each of them returns this fall.

The defense and midfield shouldn’t need much time to regain the chemistry they built in 2023. They were solid last year, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be again.

And to top it all off, redshirt senior goalie Bella Mendoza is back in action for UMass. Mendoza stopped 77 shots last year and had an excellent 1.00 goals-against average in 18 games. Mendoza posted eight shutouts and nine wins.

The Minutewomen’s strong 2023 season ended with a loss in the first game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, so they are more than ready to return to the postseason and put in a better performance.

And they undoubtedly have the firepower needed.

Season opening: Thursday, August 15 in Syracuse (7 p.m.)

hockey

While the Minutewomen have many returning veterans, but not quite as many as the UMass soccer programs, the field hockey team still has high expectations for 2024—and for good reason.

Leading scorer Mali Herberhold has left the team, but senior Dempsey Campbell led the team with nine goals last year and is back to terrorize Atlantic 10 goalies again. Senior Hannah De Gast was one of five UMass players to score in double figures, so she and Campbell will provide a strong one-two punch.

But the Minutewomen need others to step in, because three of those five players are gone. Eight players played in all 20 games last season, and only three of them (Campbell, De Gast and Claire Danahy) are still in action.

Alexa Collins, Izzy Acquaviva, Kristy Leonard, Megan Carpenter and Neva Eisenga all played at least 18 games but were not regular starters. They each started a few games, so they will definitely be expected to step in and fill the gaps left by last year’s team.

UMass scored three or more goals in 10 games in 2023 and its defense conceded one or fewer goals in the same number of games. The Minutewomen were above average on both ends of the court last fall. Head coach Barb Weinberg expects that to continue in 2024.

Junior goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen is back in goal after starting 16 games. She had a 1.37 goals-against average with 104 saves and allowed just 24 goals in 17 appearances. UMass’ opposing goalies had a 2.04 goals-against average, so van Herwijnen was much sharper than her competitors all over the field.

UMass finished 13-7, including a 5-2 record in the A-10 in 2023. The Minutewomen defeated VCU 3-2 in the conference tournament before losing 2-1 to Saint Joseph’s.

Season opening: Saturday, August 31 against Maine (in Evanston, Illinois, 11 a.m.)