While practices and tryouts for the fall high school sports season opened Monday for most of the state, many of the schools in Aroostook County have been going for several weeks. Some schools have already played countable games.

The Van Buren boys soccer team, which won the Class D state championship last fall, was to open its season Monday night with a home game against Madawaska.

Although there will be plenty of familiar faces up front for the Crusaders this year, including prolific goal-scorer Alex Martin who was the 2006 state Class D Player of the Year, Van Buren will look different on defense. The Crusaders graduated five defensive starters.

Still, coach Steve Lapierre is hoping the Crusaders will be as competitive as ever, to the point of defending their state crown.

“We’ve always built our teams from the back forward,” said Lapierre, who is in his 28th year. “I mean, you have to score some goals but you can’t give up too many and that’s the key. Hopefully as we start the new year we’ll progress. The goal is to get back to where we were last year.”

Several of last year’s forwards and midfielders will likely end up in more defensive-minded roles. The changes should keep the Crusaders as athletic as ever, but just less experienced defensively.

“To say the least,” Lapierre said. “Some people who were forwards last year will probably have to move to defense.”

Chris Grivois, who was a forward on the 2006 state team, will likely head to the back, Lapierre added.

And someone will have to step into the goalie spot, which was probably where Van Buren suffered its toughest graduation loss. Former goalie Andrew Taylor started on two state final teams and made 13 saves in last year’s 2-1 overtime win against Richmond in the Class D final.

Lapierre said he’s looking at a number of players for the goalie position.

Sweeper Matt Parent also graduated, although stopper Jean Pierre Dumond is back for his senior year.

Despite the uncertainty in back, the Crusaders offense should be strong as they were 16-0-2 last year in part due to the scoring combination of Martin and Ben Doucette, who both return this year.

Martin scored more than 30 goals in 2006 and Doucette added at least 15, LaPierre said. The two hooked up for a game-tying goal in the Class D final against Richmond, and Martin scored the winner in overtime off an assist from center halfback Riley Lizotte, who graduated.

Doucette came up huge in the Eastern Maine Class D quarterfinal when he scored the game-winning and insurance goals three minutes apart in a 4-2 comeback win over Bangor Christian.

Other key returning players include Derek Rossignol, who will be the center halfback, along with Craig St. Pierre, and Patrick Gereben.

Van Buren, along with many Aroostook County schools, traditionally starts its season early because of the fall break for the potato harvest.

Daigle looking at D-I soccer

Madawaska senior Jamie Daigle is ready to move south for college, and she’ll have an opportunity to play a high level of soccer while she’s at it.

The Owls sweeper said she got a phone call last week from Alabama State women’s soccer coach Jodie Smith, whom Daigle said wants her to play for the Hornets next fall.

Daigle isn’t sure yet if she would get a scholarship for her freshman year at the NCAA Division I school, which is located in Montgomery, Ala., but she’s close to accepting Smith’s offer.

“I’m pretty sure I will,” Daigle said. “He wants me to fly down pretty soon to come meet the girls. We’ll see what happens.”

Daigle, a Maine Soccer Coaches regional all-star last fall who also plays varsity basketball and intramural volleyball at Madawaska, first met Smith at a soccer camp in Georgia. She said Smith saw her playing there and asked for her contact information, but she didn’t think anything would come of it.

“I was like, it’s not going to happen, he’s probably never going to call,” Daigle said. “But now, I’m so excited. I always wanted to go down south so this is the perfect opportunity for me.”

Before meeting the Alabama State coach, Daigle said, she figured she might take her skills to the either of the University of Maine campuses in Presque Isle or Fort Kent.

So how did she get noticed at the camp in Georgia, especially playing the less-than-glamorous sweeper position?

“I worked hard and focused a lot,” said Daigle, who first started playing soccer as a fourth-grader and learned through school and town recreation programs. “Soccer’s my life pretty much.”

Alabama State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Hornets were 2-12 last year.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.