It has been the proverbial team effort that has carried the Carrabec High School Cobras into their fourth state championship soccer game in the last five years.

“I think it’s the balance. It makes it hard for anybody to key on any one weakness and take advantage of it,” said Carrabec Coach Terry Corson. “We lost some all-staters but our scorers and our goalie were back. Plus, we’ve had some girls waiting in the wings and they’ve blended well.”

The Cobras will strike out at the Van Buren Crusaders this Saturday with the state Class C soccer championship on the line. Game time at Brewer’s Pendleton Street field is 1 p.m.

“I’m really proud of the kids,” Corson said of his 12-1-2 WM champions from North Anson. “All of the goals they set, they’ve met. They wanted to win the Mountain Valley Conference; finish No. 1 in the points; and get another crack at the Western Maine championship.”

After meeting those goals, the Cobras now will look to win another state title, to put next to the trophy they won in 1987. Last year, Carrabec dropped a 1-0 state-game decision to Schenck of East Millinocket.

One of the keys to the team – and the key on the chopping block this Saturday – will be Carrabec’s defense, which will have to contend with stopping high-scoring Van Buren forwards Sarah Roy and Hilary Smith.

Three-year starting goalkeeper Dulcie Welch (30 career shutouts, 11 this season) is the last line of defense playing in back of fullbacks Amanda Farrar, Leah Perrochi, and Willow Moryan. Stopperback Cindy McLaughlin (“She’s the heart of the defense,” Corson says) rounds out the list of players looking to shut down Van Buren’s volatile offense.

“We’ve got some different tactics in mind,” Corson said. “We’ll have to do a few things differently to match up with them.”

Up front, Kelly Padham, Monica Hoyt, and Brandi Martin are some of the players looking to put the ball in the net along with a wave-like substitution of freshmen Hollyee Dunphy, Amy Fletcher, and Maggie Drummond.

Halfbacks Tiffany Turner, Judi Bolvin, and Marie Drake are other keys along with subs Katie Drummond, Katy Bown, and Dawn Berry.

“I don’t think either team will choke,” Corson said. “I think it will take five or 10 minutes to feel each other out and then it will get down to some good soccer. I look for a low-scoring game and which ever team makes the fewest mistakes will have the edge.”

Corson’s hoping that it is his team that makes the fewest mistakes.