Lucy coping after injury Bangor senior supports team

As the fifth-seeded Bangor girls soccer team awaits Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal matchup against No. 4 Hampden, one Ram player continues to watch from the sidelines.

Would-be starting midfielder Jennie Lucy would love to be on the field, but the senior is in her first month of recovery after season-ending surgery on her left knee.

It’s not only the fall season that Lucy will miss. A standout in the middle distances in indoor and outdoor track and field, Lucy will also likely sit out most of the indoor season this winter.

She’s been attending soccer games as the Rams went 10-4 in the regular season, but it’s been tough for the senior to watch from the sidelines.

“It’s really hard,” said Lucy, the daughter of former University of Maine football standout and ex-Orono High football coach Bob Lucy. “I try to be involved. Sometimes they have me be an assistant coach. I’m a captain, so I try to lead as much as I can.”

Lucy injured her leg Sept. 6 in the second game of the season, a 2-1 loss to the rival Broncos.

“I was just running and someone came up behind me,” she said after Thursday’s 3-2 defeat to Hampden. “I just locked my leg [with the other player] and twisted it.”

Lucy said she knew something was wrong with her knee but she was still able to walk on it. A few days later, however, she went to the doctor. She had surgery 31/2 weeks ago after which Lucy was told she would face 4-6 months of recovery.

She attends physical therapy sessions twice a week.

Lucy is surely missed on the field by her soccer teammates. The Rams’ track and field teams also will miss the points she provides in meets.

During the 2006 outdoor season she was fourth in the 800-meter run at the Class A state championships and 18th at New Englands. Lucy won the 800 and was second in the 400 at the PVC Large School championships.

During the indoor season, she was third in the 400 and fourth in the 800 at states and swept both events at the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League title meet.

Depth key for GSA girls

The leading scorer this season for the George Stevens Academy girls soccer team is a junior who comes off the bench. But in a recent game during which the Eagles of Blue Hill scored seven goals, not only did Leah Mattson not score but she didn’t get too many touches on the ball.

That’s because GSA has plenty of scoring options, which makes coach Steve Bemiss’ Eagles so dangerous – and helped them earn the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Maine Class C playoffs.

“This is the biggest team that we’ve had,” said Laura Overton, a senior captain who gets in on the scoring. “Everyone on our bench can go in and play.”

Mattson scored 12 goals in the regular season. In GSA’s final game before the playoffs, a 7-2 win over Searsport, she played sporadically.

That was fine – Overton had two goals, sophomore Quinn Curtin scored three, her sister Doran Curtin had another, and Alida Peake added a goal.

But Mattson scored three coming off the bench in the first GSA-Searsport matchup.

“We kind of prepared for her today and she wasn’t even out there today,” Searsport coach Mike Garcelon said. “That’s the thing with [GSA]. When you scout them you really can’t say, we’re going to shut this kid down. They have just too many weapons.”

In addition to his team’s depth, Bemiss attributes the Eagles’ success to their experience, hard work in the summer program and commitment to the team.

“When we’re running with everybody where they’re supposed to be we have sophomores, juniors and seniors out there contributing,” he said. “… It’s a wide disparity of personalities but when they’re out on the field they’re working for one another.”

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