CARIBOU, Maine — The roster has a much different look than last year’s, but that shouldn’t prevent the Viking girls from being competitive in the Eastern Maine Class B ranks this fall.
Coach Todd Albert said his squad has “a lot of potential,” despite losing 10 players off last year’s team that went 8-5-1 on the regular season, made it into the quarterfinals where it had eventual state champion Waterville tied at halftime before losing.
The Vikes will have a hard time making up for the losses of Sarah Doak, who was a Class B all-state selection, and Bria Judd, an All-Eastern Maine choice. Doak was a multi-talented star who played both ends of the field equally well, while Judd set a single-season record for goals and was “a natural scorer,” according to Albert.
Four other players from the 2014 team graduated, while three others opted not to return. Searra Herbert, who contributed as a freshman last year, is still recuperating from a major knee injury suffered last winter during basketball season.
Caribou has three seniors on this year’s squad and one is midfielder Eileen Patton, who Albert said has played exceptionally well during the preseason. She will captain the team along with junior striker Maddie Doucette, who has been a reliable scorer her first two seasons.
Despite the absence of Herbert, the Vikings still boast a talented sophomore group which has made tremendous strides after seeing plenty of varsity time as freshmen. Defender Hope Shea, midfielder/striker Gabrielle Marquis, defender Danielle Hanson, striker/midfielder Ashley Matlock and midfielder/defender Camryn Langille should all be primed for solid campaigns.
Hope Shea plays tough defense against a Winslow player during a playoff match in 2014. Shea is now a sophomore and key player for the Caribou Vikings. The squad opened regular season play at home against Fort Kent Tuesday.
(Courtesy of jMavor Photography)
Albert was still tinkering with his starting lineup as of press time, but the rest of the team includes senior defenders Molly Adams and Jenna Boucher, junior midfielder/striker Megan Thornton, junior midfielder/defender Kendra Furber, junior goalkeeper/midfielder Kerrigan Manter, sophomore goalkeeper/midfielder Jaelynn Doody and sophomore defender/midfielder Jojo Fields, sophomore defender Meagan Dube.
Two freshmen made the squad — midfielder/defender Willow Whitten and midfielder/striker Amber Moir.
Zoe Gerakaris and Alexis Rodriquez are also injured and join Herbert as the team’s managers. Chris Bell as back as Albert’s assistant coach, while Andrew Kirby is the junior varsity coach.
“The keys to the season will be continued improvement from the youth, and the experienced girls need to play well,” Albert said. “We have to connect our passes and be able to score. Being able to put the ball in the back of the net when we have an opportunity will be crucial.”
Albert was encouraged by his team’s performance at the Aug. 15 round-robin tournament in Presque Isle. The Vikes were 3-1-2 overall and just missed out on making the final.
“If we can avoid injury, and continue to improve, we should be competitive,” he said.
Caribou began its season with a home game against defending Eastern Maine Class C champ Fort Kent Tuesday and are now preparing for a showdown against Presque Isle at home Sept. 2.
