Black Bear soccer team paws at top playoff position

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The University of Maine women’s soccer team had hoped to have a breakthrough season this fall.

Making the America East playoffs for the first time ever was one of the goals after missing them a year ago when they went 3-4-1 in league play, 7-8-1 overall.

The Bears still have four league games remaining but, barring a total collapse, that achievement will be attained.

That’s because the Bears are currently 4-0-1 in the conference and tied for the league lead with Boston University.

Maine and BU battled to a 1-1 overtime tie in Orono a couple of weeks ago.

Maine is 10-1-1 overall and that represents the most wins in school history.

“I’m not satisfied and the players aren’t satisfied,” said 38-year-old Bear coach Scott Atherley, who is in his fifth season at the helm. “We have so much more to prove this year. We’re all hungry.”

He hinted that last season’s disappointment may have paved the way for this season’s success.

“So far, the lessons of last year are paying significant dividends this year,” said Atherley.

He explained that his senior class went from a 5-10 freshman season (1-7 in America East) to compiling the school’s first winning season as sophomores (7-6-3 overall, 4-5-2 in conference play).

That led to lofty expectations for last season.

“We were naive. We automatically thought we were going to keep getting better. We had been progressing, but we got away from doing the things that we did to make that growth,” said Atherley. “There hasn’t been a moment where anyone has taken anything for granted this season.”

Boston University coach Nancy Feldman said this is the best Maine team she has ever coached against.

“Scott has done a marvelous job. They have some great players there. They have always been a tough team to play against. They always play with a lot of heart and a lot of spirit,” said Feldman. “But their players have developed and they play a really good system for the personnel they have.

“They have a lot of seniors who have worked hard. Their record is no exaggeration. They are definitely legit,” added Feldman.

Atherley said his team’s depth and balance have been vital in its success. The loss of America East Defender of the Year Linda Consolante to the Canadian World Cup team helped them develop balanced and depth and she returned two games ago and have given them a lift.

Consolante, in fact, beat Binghamton with a 50-yard blast in overtime.

“We have been guilty of relying on three or four players in the past. Instead of that, we’re doing it with 12-13-14 players,” said Atherley. “That has taken the pressure off [those 3-4 players] and we have become a more balanced team.”

Since the Bears changed their alignment from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3, Consolante has switched from a sweeper to center back role and that has enabled Atherley to push Jen Buckley up into a defensive midfield role.

Rock-solid Allison Kelly and tenacious Angela Clark have been exceptional as the outside backs; six-goal scorer Katie Hodge and three-goal producer Kim Walsh have been the catalyst for a midfield corps that has already combined for 11 goals this season. The Bear midfield tallied only three goals last season.

Annie Hamel, who leads the team in scoring with five goals and five assists, and Heather Hathorn (3 & 3) are having good years up front.

Tanya Adorno has seven shutouts already in goal as the Bears have allowed only six goals.

Bears’ postseason hopes dimmed

The UMaine football team, coming off Saturday’s 20-14 loss at Northeastern, will be severely challenged in its attempt to win a third straight Atlantic 10 championship and earn another trip to the NCAA playoffs.

Coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears (4-3 overall, 3-2 in conference play), have dropped out of the Division I-AA Top 25 for the first time in 32 weeks, since Oct. 15, 2001.

Rather than worry about their long-term goals, the Bears must focus on more immediate concerns.

“We can’t even be thinking about that. We’ve got to think about our next football game against James Madison and win the football game,” said Cosgrove, who likened UMaine’s approach to the one Northeastern used in ending a three-game losing streak against the Bears.

“We’ve got five football games left to play,” Cosgrove said. “We look at one of them at a time and at the end, if we’re successful, then we’ll get a reward. If we’re not, we won’t.”

If history is any indication, UMaine will have to win out to have any chance at reaching the postseason. As Northeastern found out, it’s counterproductive to look too far ahead.

“A lot of people had given us up for dead. The reality is, we didn’t give up on each other,” said Huskies coach Don Brown, who said preseason expectations, whether fair or not, can be hard to meet.

“I think we’ve kind of let those things go and are just back to playing our style, which is one game at a time, play your (butt) off and let good things happen,” Brown said.