EASTON, Maine — Sixth-year coach Rachel Tomlinson is ready to lead the Easton Bears to a successful campaign. Stocked with plenty of upperclassmen talent, the Bears take 12 seniors into the season, which gives the team lots of experience from the get go. When it comes to this year’s roster, depth is not an issue.
“I am still working on my [starters], but it’s looking like seniors Kylee Carter, Taylor Brown, Kelsey Frank and Nichole Dudley will head up the offensive end and Alex Allen, Kristen West and Hannah Ferris on the defensive end, along with sophomore Elise Allen,” said Tomlinson. “Juniors Taylor Howe and Blake Bradley will spend most of their time splitting the goalie position, along with Emma Bonner in the midfield.”
Freshmen Isabelle Morin and Delia Bonner will also be taking turns at midfield, rounding off the potential starters.
Tomlinson is looking for the veterans to set a precedent and gain momentum early on, hoping to steer the Bears away from a disappointing finish in 2013.
“We had a few setbacks along the way last season and we didn’t finish the regular season how we had anticipated,” she said. “This year, our goal is to polish our fundamentals and see improvements each game, which will allow us to be competitive.”
With a potent offense and a defense bolstered by four returning players, the big challenge will be making sure the players are conditioned and ready to take on their Class D rivals that appear on the early portion of the schedule. Once the wheels are in motion, the tight-knit group of girls will look to pull together and bring post-season soccer back to Easton.
Finishing off the roster are seniors Caitlin Monroe, Kalie Ward, Ashley Hersey, Kerrigan Arnett and Madison Leach; sophomores Abbie Currier and Sara Gilman; and freshmen Delaney Leach and Paige Flewelling.
Tomlinson is assisted by Travis Carter and the squad is managed by Abby Thompson.
