Caribou High School girls soccer coach Todd Albert has good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.

After all, the Vikings posted a strong 10-3-1 regular-season record last fall – after winning only two games the year before – and reached the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals.

So, with a formidable nucleus of returning veterans for the 2008 campaign, can the Vikes take the next step, and perhaps reach the promised land in the Class B ranks?

“I think we can be better than last year, this is probably a year they looked forward to a couple years ago, knowing we could be stronger now,” said Albert, entering his eighth season at the helm.

A number of Aroostook County teams are entering their first week of preseason practices with the first countable games set for Friday.

Among Albert’s key returnees are senior defenders Meg Bosse, Meagan Bossie and Katie Ouellette, goalkeeper Brittany Doak, a junior who was a Penobscot Valley Conference first-team selection in 2007, and sophomore striker Jenna Selander, who tallied 10 goals last season.

Albert will also seek offensive production from Emily Collins up front, whom he said has the best speed of the bunch.

Senior midfielders Amanda Cyr, Kristen Espling and Abby Small along with forwards Lydia Kieffer, a sophomore and Liz Barbosa, a junior, will look to add offensive punch as well.

With Doak’s fine play and experience in goal, and a solid group of backs in front of her, the Vikings could be one of the tougher defensive teams in Class B this fall.

“Brittany’s probably one of the better keepers around, she’s experienced, she’s tough,” said Albert. “We’ve got to play defense first.”

Like a lot of County teams, Caribou held a summer camp a couple times a week, and Albert was impressed with the turnouts.

“We had 45 girls come in at one time this summer, it shows willingness to want to get better,” he said. “They’ve got a good attitude, they know what they need to do to improve.

“It worked out pretty well, it’s something we look forward to doing, it helps get time in the summer to get ready for the season.”

In addition to the summer workouts, “quite a few” of Albert’s players, including Doak, attended the Dutch Soccer Academy earlier this year, playing against European squads overseas.

The Vikings had a strong showing in the recent Presque Isle Round Robin, posting a 3-1-2 record against the likes of Class B foes Presque Isle, Fort Kent and Houlton, reigning EM Class D champ Ashland, along with Madawaska and Van Buren.

With the Vikes set to kick off the season at home against Fort Kent on Aug. 22, the enthusiasm is certainly there in preseason camp, Albert said.

“I think so, I’ve got a good group of girls [with a] good attitude,” he said.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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