LIMESTONE, Maine — After their traditional late start, the Penguin boys are getting ready for the season and hope to be competitive in the Class D ranks with nine players returning from last year.
MSSM has a new coach in Juan Morales after longtime coach Jon Hamilton stepped down during the off-season.
Morales said he has been coaching soccer and basketball for 10 years and is looking forward to his stint with the Penguins.
“So far I have been very impressed with how fast the boys have picked up the formation and how hard they’ve been practicing,” Morales said. “MSSM is not a regular school and the academics are set to a very high standard, so being able to commit to playing soccer and juggling their difficult schedules is something to admire.”
Due to their unique school calendar, MSSM begins practices a couple weeks after most teams in Aroostook County, but Morales knows his squad will not use that for an excuse.
“I don’t see that affecting these young men, who look to accomplish any task out in front of them,” said the coach.
MSSM’s starting group includes sophomore Connor Start at goalkeeper, with sophomore Lochlan O’Connor, senior Aryan Bawa and sophomore Luke Ingalls playing on defense.
Junior Quinn Smith is the defensive midfielder, while classmates Josh Smith and Ben Burnham also playing midfield slots.
Junior Anthony Jordan starts at forward along with seniors Liam Hollis and Owen Dulac and sophomore Nikolas Theriault.
The reserves are junior defender Andrew McGauran, senior defender Thomas Moore and senior midfielder Bao Bao Nguyen.
Senior Henry Tun is the manager and Matt Bartlett serves as the assistant coach.
“The overall goal should be to do better than the year before,” Morales said. “I believe if by the end of the season there has been a significant improvement as a team as well as individually, that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
