Experienced Black Bears aiming for playoffs

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The University of Maine’s women’s soccer team has never qualified for the America East playoffs.

They will have a 50-50 chance to do so this season because six of the 12 teams will qualify.

Third-year head coach Scott Atherley expects his team to do so.

“Our goal is to finish within the top four and we feel that’s very realistic provided that we’re consistent,” said the 35-year-old Atherley. “We will have one ingredient we didn’t have last year: experience.”

Seven freshmen received playing time in at least 11 of Maine’s 15 games and four started at least 12 games.

“I knew we had a talented group of players. There were moments in games in which we played brilliantly and, other days, we were very inconsistent. That is typical of an inexperienced team,” said Atherley. “Since we did rely heavily on them, they have tremendous game experience. That’s something you can’t teach. They had to acquire that.”

Headlining the group of sophomores are America East All-Rookie team selections, Katie Hodge and Annie Hamel, along with Kate Crawford and Jessica Wojcik.

Hodge, who has had call-ups to the Canadian National Team, had two goals and five assists from her central midfield spot a year ago and Hamel, a striker, was Maine’s top scorer with four goals and four assists.

Strikers Crawford and Wojcik each scored four goals as first-year players a year ago. Crawford had three assists and Wojcik notched a pair.

Goal scoring was a problem in league games as the Bears mustered just three goals in eight AE games. They went 1-7 in America East and 5-10 overall. The 23 goals allowed in their 15 overall games was the lowest ever for the program. They scored 22, which was more than the previous two teams combined.

Atherley feels his team is “pretty balanced” and will be “much more competitive” in all areas.

“We will be very strong physyically up the middle and we’ll have very good speed up front,” said Atherley who, along with assistant Jackie Gebhart, had to address several recruiting needs a year ago.

“We were very satisfied with our corps of players,” said Atherley whose team was much improved technically and athletically.

That meant they could concentrate on more specific recruiting needs this season.

“We had to improve our physical size so we’re better in the air,” said Atherley who has brought in 6-foot-1 central defender Linda Consolante to address that need.

“We also felt we were a player short in the midfield and up front,” said Atherley who has added the all-time leading scorer in Connecticut schoolgirl history, midfielder-striker Rachel Kennedy, to help fill those voids.

Newcomer Allison Kelly gives them a left-footed left back; Samantha Schmoeger can play midfield or fullback and Jessica Eaton will back up junior goalie Naomi Welsh, who had a 1.75 goals-against average in 10 games a year ago.

Welsh will be one of four Bear captains.

Consolante and Kelly will have plenty of veterans to show them the ropes in the back.

Seniors Kay and Mary Miller (no relation), two of the team’s captains, will play in the back along with sophomores Jen Buckley, Sawyer Hanson, Angie LeBlanc and Jackie Rickards.

Senior Nancy Dillingham, the other captain, had been rock steady in the back throughout her career but was moved up to midfield last season and will remain there.

“She’s very good at winning balls and she never loses possession of it,” said Atherley.

Sophomore Emily Stevens, who also plays ice hockey at Maine, gives them yet another solid midfielder.

Former Mount Desert Island standout Maija Kaldro, who transferred from Wheaton College (Mass.) and played in four games for the Bears a year ago, had “the best spring of anybody and will play this year” according to Atherley.

Seven Bears received valuable playing time during the Canada Games this past week and all seven were starters: Hodge, Hamel, Stevens, Walsh, Crawford, Consolante and Kelly.

Stevens and Kelly helped lead Team Ontario to the gold medal.

Maine opens against Manhattan in the Black Bear Invitational on Sept. 1 in Orono.

UMAINE WOMEN’S SCHEDULE

AUGUST

23, McGill (exhib.), TBA

SEPTEMBER

1, Manhattan*, 3:30 p.m.

2, Central Connecticut State*, 1:30 p.m.

8, Holy Cross, at Falmouth, 1:30 p.m.

14, at Wisconsin**, 5 p.m.

16, vs. Evansville**, 1 p.m.

21, Albany, 3 p.m.

23, Stony Brook, 1 p.m.

28, at Iona, 3 p.m.

30, at Marist, noon

OCTOBER

6, at Hofstra, 11 a.m.

8, at Drexel, 4 p.m.

11, Northwestern, 3 p.m.

14, Boston University, 1 p.m.

19, at Hartford, 7 p.m.

21, at Vermont, noon

26, Delaware, 2:30 p.m.

28, Towson, noon

NOVEMBER

2, at New Hampshire, 2 p.m.

*Black Bear Invitational

**Badger Classic (at Wisconsin)