Soccer coaches Diane Boettcher and Carol Weeks have set major goals for themselves and their sport of women’s college soccer: to raise the level of soccer awareness and quality among the young girls of Maine.

To that end, the University of Maine’s Boettcher is administering the Olympic Development Program for girls, and Husson’s Weeks coaches the youngest age group.

In an earlier column, we introduced the newest coach at the Husson campus in Bangor, but it wasn’t just Husson soccer Weeks wanted to talk about during that interview.

“This is the first year for us,” she said of the Olympic program for girls 14 years old and younger. “We had tryouts in May, but it was a bit tough fielding a team. We weren’t able to be as selective as we’d like because of the lack of numbers.

“The problem is, kids along the coast (in southern Maine) have a lot of club teams at that level and they chose that rather than the ODP.”

Olympic development tryouts in early May selected players for three age-level teams who then attended a weekend soccer camp at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine or on the UM campus in Orono.

From there, the two older teams competed in New Hampshire while the younger team went to the Hall of Fame Tournament in Oneonta, N.Y., in mid-June.

The older teams competed in the sub-regional tournament in Keene, N.H., before attending a second state camp at MMA in late June. The latest competition for the under-19 team, coached by David LaLiberty and Mike Steitzer, and the under-16 team, coached by Boettcher and Roger Young, was the July 9-12 Regional Identification weekend in Amherst, Mass.

But competition for the youngest group was limited to Oneonta.

“The kids came from around the state and not many of them knew each other,” Weeks said of their first meeting at MMA. “All 13 slept in the same room, ate together, and were on the field together every day so they got to know each other pretty well. We did discover, though, at that age there is some homesickness. But, it was fun.”

The Oneonta tournament was enhanced by the quality of the competition and a visit to the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta.

Good games with two New York teams resulted in a tie and a loss but, Weeks said, “we kind of got killed by a team from Maryland” and she initially worried the loss would demoralize her team.

“But the kids were impressed with the level of play, and encouraged by the level of play they saw in their age group,” she said. “They would come off the field and say `did you see what they could do? I want to be able to do that.’ Now they know there is another level, and they know this is the age to learn.”

Another reason for limiting the team’s competition was financial. Entry fees must be paid in advance and are non-refundable. “We weren’t sure we’d pull together enough players to make that commitment,” Weeks said.

She also believes public awareness of the program was lacking.

“After the fact, we realized we had a problem getting the word out,” she said. “Enough people just didn’t know about it in advance. But the feedback from the kids and parents was very positive, which makes us feel this group will compete in the future.”

Members of the under-14 team are Tricia Beaulieu, Orland; Kate Kenoyer, North Whitefield; Gina Quartrucci, Augusta; Lyn Plymale, Meghan Barry, and Tricia Folan, Portland; Kendra Emery, Wayne; Carissa Stewart, Scarborough; Jamie Mooney, Anne Raymond and Abigail Thelin, Cape Elizabeth; Bonnie Weigle, Wilton; and Rebecca Brasier, Windham.

Those seeking more information on the Olympic Development Program may contact Weeks at 947-1121.