When Melissa Achorn decided to take her soccer skills and prolific scoring touch a mile or so down the road from Bangor High School to Husson College, she had hoped to contribute immediately.

But she never envisioned scoring 24 goals in her first 13 college games.

Achorn, fellow freshman Beatrice DeYcaza of Ecuador and sophomore Kristin Pelletier from Madawaska have been creating all kinds of problems for opposing defenders.

Pelletier has 15 goals and 10 assists and DeYcaza, who was an exchange student at Mount Desert Island High School last year, has produced nine goals and 10 assists.

Achorn, who has seven multiple-goal games, has two assists to go with her 24 goals.

“I didn’t expect this. Not at all,” said Achorn of her output. “I expected to contribute but not this much. It’s exciting.”

“Everyone has been involved. I finish but there are a lot of other people who start it [the buildup that leads to her goals],” added Achorn. “It starts from the back and goes all the way up.”

Husson coach Keith Bosley said Achorn is “very aggressive.”

“She puts a lot of pressure on the backs. She can snap off a shot even if she only has a half-chance. She can finish with power or placement,” said Bosley.

Achorn said she has “worked real hard” on finishing.

Bosley said Pelletier can “really pass and finish. She is very composed.”

Bosley described DeYcaza as a classic South American player.

“She is very gifted. She’ll dribble through two or three players and then thread a pass [that results in a high-percentage scoring opportunity]. Or she’ll take the goalie on,” said Bosley, who added that Achorn, DeYcaza, and Pelletier complement each other well.

“Melissa and Kristin have helped Beatrice become more aggressive and she has helped them with their ballhandling skills,” said Bosley.

DeYcaza said she has had to adjust to the American brand of soccer. The South American style of soccer is based on finesse and speed.

“In Ecuador, it’s dribble, dribble, dribble. In the first minute of my first high school game at MDI, someone took me right out. I screamed at the referee. They [coaches and teammates] told me to stop complaining. The referees aren’t going to do anything about it,” said DeYcaza. “College soccer is a lot different than high school. It’s rougher. I’ve had to adjust. My first games at Husson were lousy, then I got used to it.”

The women said they enjoy playing together and like the attacking style of play they are able to manufacture.

“That makes the game more fun. Every game is fun,” said DeYcaza.

Their explosiveness means the Braves are confident they can overcome deficits.

“We feel we can come back. We have this year. Maybe we didn’t always come out with a win, but we came back from a deficit,” said senior central midfielder and captain Katy Calligan of Hermon, the school’s all-time scoring leader.

The Husson women will take their 8-5 record into today’s 1:30 p.m. game against the University of Maine-Presque Isle.

Boucher Field ribbon-cutting set

Husson College in Bangor will officially dedicate its new John Boucher Soccer Field today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The event is scheduled for approximately 3:15 p.m., between the women’s soccer game pitting Husson against the University of Maine-Presque Isle and the men’s soccer game against Maine Maritime Academy.

The field is named for Husson board of trustees member John Boucher of Amherst, Mass. Boucher played soccer, baseball, and golf at Husson from 1963-66, captaining the soccer team as a senior.

Boucher coaches the girls soccer team at Souhegan High School in Amherst, N.H. His squads have won seven consecutive state titles while posting 13 straight postseason shutouts. Last year, he was named the National High School Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.

Boucher Field is set up for international play specifications and features granite and steel perimeter fencing in the design of the traditional English “football” pitch.