Mark Boulier of Bangor knows his team doesn’t practice as often as it should.

But getting together more than a few times a month just isn’t practical for an ages 13-and-under youth soccer team, based in Waterville, that draws girls from as far north as Howland.

Still, the lack of more regular practice time hasn’t hurt the Terriers, who earlier this month won their stage age group championship and will be one of 282 teams at the U.S. Soccer Region I Championships in Portland starting Thursday.

This will be the first time the tournament, which draws teams from as far south as Virginia, will be held in Maine.

Most of the 18 teams representing Maine are based in Scarborough, Falmouth and Brunswick. The U13 Terriers, along with a U15 Terrier team and a U19 squad from Blackbear United, which pulls in many local high school and University of Maine players, are three teams that are drawing players from the Augusta area and north.

The tournament begins Thursday with an opening ceremony in Portland at Fitzpatrick Stadium and Deering Oaks Park. Round-robin games start Friday and go through July 1, with semifinals July 2 and finals July 3.

The winning teams in most age groups move on to the national championships, which will take place July 24-29 in Frisco, Texas. There is no national tournament for the younger age groups.

Portland is listed as the host site, but fields in Falmouth and Brunswick will be utilized for the tournament, which is expected to draw more than 5,000 soccer players, coaches and officials.

There are 13 states in Region I, with New York and Pennsylvania divided into East and West sections. The other states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

“I don’t know if [the girls on the team] really have a concept of what they’ll experience in the next few days,” said Boulier, a 1986 Bangor High graduate and former Bangor soccer player. “The opening ceremony is supposed to be awesome, with thousands of people cheering on the teams. I think their jaws will drop – is this for real?”

The Terriers might be wide-eyed when it comes to the crowd, but they certainly aren’t new to winning tournaments.

In order to advance to the Region I tourney, they had to win the state title. The Terriers did that during the State Cup, which was contested June 2-3. They beat Cumberland-based Maine Coast United 2-1 in the semifinals and then Odyssey Sport out of Gorham and Scarborough 2-1 for the state title.

The Terriers made it to the U12 state final last year but lost, which made this year even sweeter.

“They were pretty excited,” Boulier said. “They know what it was like last year and how it was to get so close. They played phenomenal soccer that weekend.”

And all without much practice. That’s because the Terriers, who play out of the All Pro Sports Center in Waterville, draw players from Bangor, Hampden, Passadumkeag, Howland, Ellsworth, Dedham, Waterville, Fairfield and Mount Vernon.

“[The southern Maine teams] they have the ability to train 2-3 times a week, which is an obvious advantage from a skill perspective,” Boulier said after a recent practice at Nokomis High in Newport, which is a good central location for all the girls. “But we have that team cohesion and that’s a big plus. I’ve had coaches remark that we’ve outplayed opponents just on our teamwork. It’s a fun, committed group.”

Boulier said he also understands that his players have a lot going on outside of soccer, from other athletic endeavors to academic and school activities that may be just as or more important to them.

Fewer practices also keeps the team hungry, Boulier added.

“They’re still passionate about it and it’s not like, ‘Oh, I have to go to practice,'” he said. “When they get to practice, it’s a good experience.”

Another big difference between the southern teams and his squad is the lack of star power. Many of the other teams have one or two top players, Boulier said, while the Terriers have had scoring from a lot of different players.

“We’ve had multiple goal-scorers and many different girls who have contributed to the team,” he said. “That’s tough for the teams that play us. They don’t know who to mark or who to shut down.”

That, and the improvement of goalie Mia Smith have all been key to the Terriers’ success. Smith works with Gary Walker, a former professional player and coach in Europe who is now the head soccer coach at All Pro.

“She’s learned a lot from him,” Boulier said.

The other U13 team members are Hannah Shepard, Chelsea Kuzio, Hanna Colpritt, Jade Baumrind, Anna Michaud, Brittany Saulter, Olivia Thurston, Hannah Clough, Ashley Crosby, Ashley Robinson, Hannah Jabar, Erin Boulier, Rosemary Nurse, Sierra Pierce and Cristin Wright. Ken Colpritt also coaches with Mark Boulier.

Monique Kelmenson of Hampden plays for the Terriers U15 team.

Not only should the tournament be a good experience for the Terriers and other youth teams, but it is also expected to have a $9 million economic impact on the Portland area, according to U.S. Youth Soccer.

Many hotel rooms in the Portland area are sold out – an estimated 31,000 room nights will be used in southern Maine towns and cities – as more than 5,000 players, coaches, tournament officials and family members are expected in the area.

There’s a sort of prestige factor for the Terriers to be in the first Maine-held Region I tourney.

“For Maine to be able to host, it’s pretty awesome,” Boulier said. “There’s going to be some phenomenal soccer.”

They cannot, however, advance to a national tournament because there isn’t one for the U13 age group. Regardless of how many games the Terriers win, the focus of the tournament will be having fun.

“We’ll enjoy it, take it in, work hard, do our best and see what happens,” Boulier said. “We’re state champs regardless and it’s just really great to be a part of the whole experience.”