Alizé Maes was destined to step on a field hockey field her entire life. The Vremde, Antwerp, Belgium native has known the sport since her earliest memories, first picking up a stick at the age of four and the love for the game has been passed down from each generation of her family.
While she loved to play, she wasn’t as confident in her ability as those around her. Temple Field Hockey’s middle back struggled with self-confidence on the field ever since she began her career. Everything changed when she underwent a career-altering move just before her junior season.
Maes joined the Owls in 2021, spending her first two seasons playing right-back where she flashed some potential but didn’t stand out. Last season head coach Michelle Vittese decided to have the rising junior switch positions — and the gamble paid off.
Maes has been reaping the benefits of the switch ever since, elevating her performance and becoming not only one of the best players in the Cherry and White, but the entire Big East Conference. Now she enters her final season at Temple prepared to build even further on her breakout year and help the Owls finally conquer the conference semifinals.
“Being moved to center-back was great because I had greater responsibility,” Maes said. “I was able to connect with more people on the team which helped me a lot. As a center-back, I have to trust people and people have to trust me which has taken a big role in both my confidence and leadership skills.”
The Owls boasted one of the best defenses in the country last season, and Maes played a key role in that. She was the last line of defense as center-back, consistently stepping up to eliminate any offensive pressure.
But it wasn’t just Maes’ defense that made her a great player. She also made her impact on the offensive side of the field by finding the back of the net three times. She also racked up eight assists, finishing top-50 nationally in assists per game. The all-around efforts earned her a spot on the second-team all-Big East in just her first year at the position.
Maes’ play at her new position helped the then-junior rediscover belief in her playing ability. Once she experienced success at center-back, the confidence was palpable every time she stepped on the field.
“Alize was able to get integrated in the back-field and get a ton of minutes and opportunity at right back,” Vittese said. “In the spring of 2022 we started to develop Alize at center-back and she got significant minutes there and she got comfortable playing there. What Alize does so well is she has great vision of the field and has the skill set to dribble out of the backfield.”
Maes faces high expectations as she enters her senior season. Part of those expectations is stepping up as a leader for a team that lost eight seniors from last season. It didn’t take long for her to prove herself, being named one of three on-field captains for Temple before the season even began.
One of the seniors who graduated was McKenna Burkhardt, who spearheaded the defense last year while being an on-field captain. Now Maes is stepping up to fill Burkhardt’s shoes as the vocal leader of the defense, helping to prepare the underclassmen who will eventually take her place.
“She is very friendly and very helpful,” said defender Minke Stoker. “As center-back she has a very good view of the field so she can help everyone. She is really nice and instead of saying ‘Oh you need to do this’ she says ‘You can do this better’ and that kind of advice helps a lot of people.”
Being a leader is one thing, but Maes knows she still has to produce on the field following the best season of her career. She became the first Temple player to be named Big East Preseason Defensive Player of the Year since the Owls joined the Big East in 2013. She also joined midfielder Tess Muller on the preseason All-Big East team.
But Maes has chosen to tune out all the pressure. Instead, she is focusing on keeping her confidence and enjoying one more ride with her teammates to try and capture the elusive Big East Championship.
“She has been able to have a lot of success because she listens and she is coachable and she is passionate about the game,” Vittese said. “She is out here all the time on her own that in a way is a dream for you to coach. She comes out, she wants to grow and she wants to get better.”
No matter what the 2024 season holds for Maes and the Owls, it will mark the end of what became a fantastic career on North Broad Street. The international recruit came to Philadelphia with little-to-no confidence and became one of the team’s biggest leaders three years later.
“It’s very sad that it is the last season [for me], but I am also very excited because I think it can be a good one,” Maes said. “I want to be the best version of myself and keep improving. I want to be a better player at the end of the season than I am now, and I want to enjoy one season with all my friends and all my teammates.”
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