Maine soccer star on career path to success at professional level

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Former Falmouth High School soccer great Roger Levesque may be on a path that someday takes him into the circle of great Maine athletes that includes the likes of Billy Swift, Ricky Craven, Joey Gamache, Mike Bordick and Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Levesque, 20, is a junior at Stanford University. With nine goals and nine assists in 15 games, Levesque leads the Cardinal in scoring.

“Things are going great. Soccer is going well. My team is 13-1-1 and we’re ranked third in most polls,” Levesque said.

Levesque is hopeful that following graduation next year he will be able to play in the MLS.

“I definitely want to play Major League Soccer. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance,” Levesque said.

He said he has played against some MLS players and although he hasn’t been called to a U.S. national team, he has played on regional teams against the top-flight American teams.

“Some of the people I’ve played with have been on the U-21 team,” Levesque said.

Levesque was a three-time all-state performer in soccer while at Falmouth and was twice named an all-state basketball player. He was also twice named the Gatorade Maine high school soccer player of the year. He holds the boys’ all-time soccer scoring state record with 106 goals.

But of all his accomplishments, the one that Levesque, an economics major, seems to have enjoyed most was sharing a statistics class with Chelsea Clinton at Stanford.

“I was more interested in going to see her every day than in the study material,” Levesque joked.

Levesque said he also saw her at a graduation party at basketball player Jason Collins’ apartment.

“I went with a friend and we went into this room and President Clinton, Hillary and Chelsea were there. He was really impressive. He has a real presence,” Levesque said.

Levesque said his game has improved a great deal since leaving Maine for the West coast.

“The coaching is excellent and the weather allows us to play pretty much year-round. The competition is great,” Levesque said.

High karate

Three members of a Bangor martial arts studio will compete in Sunday’s New Hampshire Tae Kwon Do Nationals.

Crystal Jackins runs Bangor Tae Kwon Do. Jackins said that she will join two of her students in the competition.

“James Bailey and Ryan Bailey will compete. I’m also competing,” Jackins said.

James Bailey, 14, is a junior black belt. His brother Ryan, 11, is a red belt. The Baileys live in Bangor.

Jackins and the Baileys will compete in sparring and katas forms of Tae Kwon Do.

“Katas is a memorized form of movement,” Jackins said.

The Heat is on

The World Candlepin Team Championships get under way Monday, Nov. 12 at the Halifax Shopping Center Bowling Lanes in Nova Scotia.

Competition starts with the individual knockout round on the first day of the tourney. That will be followed by team play Tuesday-Friday with the playoff rounds taking place Friday afternoon and Saturday.

The Vacationland team of Saco is the defending champion.

The Brewer-based Maine Heat team includes candlepin bowling legend Charles Milan III and James Milan of Brewer, Russ Nealey of Otis, Jerry Scott of Brewer, Shawn Morrison of Orrington and Tim Matero of Biddeford.

Lewis Auto Center of Bangor will again sponsor a team that includes Lewis Wiley, Elbow Dority, Bob Golding, Floyd Neal, Roger White and Mike Sylvester, all of the Bangor-Brewer area.

Bangor standout Chip Carson bowls with the Lucky 7 team of Brockton, Mass.

Don Perryman’s column is published each Wednesday. He can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or at dperryman@bangordailynews.com