Molly Taub of Brunswick, left, sends a ball past Olivia Nichols of Falmouth during a soccer game last season at Brunswick High School. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
Brunswick girls soccer head coach Martyn Davison is optimistic his squad can be competitive in always-tough Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A.
And with nine returning seniors from a team that didn’t lose a game last fall, he has good reason to be.
“The team is looking very good, practices have been very competitive,” said Davison. “We are definitely using our practice time wisely to gear up for the season ahead.”
Although Brunswick graduated several starters, Davison returns a group of seniors who have varsity experience, as well as five others who should be key contributors as well.
“Last year gave us something to build on,” said Davison. “We have a lot of depth and I strongly believe it’s about everyone on the squad.”
The Dragons will look to senior striker Molly Taub to provide offense. Seniors Logan Brown and Mia Klimash will anchor the middle, while senior Riley McAllaster will guide the defense.
Mt. Ararat head coach Chad Kirk also likes what he’s seen in the early going.
“We’re going to be in a lot of close games that are defensive battles,” he said.
Isadora Theberge of Mt. Ararat, left, tries to get past Freeport midfielder Savannah Tracy during a soccer game last season at Riverside Field in Topsham. Eli Canfield/Times Record
The Eagles will have Elsa Daulerio in net. Seniors Isadora Theberge and Amanda Pickens will lead the offense while Morgan Ruff and Barrett Thiboutot will anchor the defense.
“We’re very solid in the back with a lot of experience,” said Kirk, who has 12 seniors and 50 players overall. “We’ll switch our schemes and see how we roll with it, but we’ve had a great preseason.”
Freeport also has high hopes for the upcoming season.
“We have a very talented group that is mainly comprised of a lot of sophomores,” said Freeport head coach Dave Intraversato, who said there are 54 players on Freeport this season. “The girls came to preseason in fantastic shape which gave us a head start.”
Megan Driscoll and Ellie Whittier return as senior captains. Driscoll will lead the offense while Whittier should split time between midfield and defense.
“I’ve been more than pleased with what I’ve seen so far,” said Intraversato, who is entering his fourth year.
Another young team on the Midcoast this season is Morse, which is looking to build up its underclassmen talent.
“We’re young again but have made significant strides,” said Morse head coach Branden Noltkamper. “But, we have some great leadership from our upperclassmen which has been extremely beneficial.”
Senior Wren Tetreault will guide the defense. Sophomore’s Edie McKay and Macie Shiers will play in the midfield, while freshman forward Shaelyn Brochu looks to make noise on offense.
The opportunity to move back into a Class B schedule and have a postseason is something that Noltkamper and Morse are looking forward to.
Oak Hill’s Audrey Bauer, left, and Richmond’s Lila Viselli compeye during a game last season in Richmond. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“Last season we couldn’t establish long-term goals like we can this year,” said Noltkamper, who enters his 4th season with Morse. “We now can do that and look forward to seeing some familiar opponents.”
At Class D Richmond, numbers are slightly down to just below 20 players in the program.
“We had a very consistent summer schedule and were able to get acclimated with one another,” said Richmond head coach Troy Kendrick, who has 18 players. “I expect us to be very stout on defense.”
The defense is comprised of Kara Briand, Lila Viselli and Lorelei Zoulamis. Liz Johnson is back in net for her third season. Nicole Brown, Abby Harrington and Nicole Tribbet should all have scoring opportunities.
“We have some great talent and have a lot of upside,” said Kendrick, who enters his 33rd season with Richmond. “We will be relying on some underclassmen to improve but they’re already trending the right way.”
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