HOULTON, Maine — A year ago, the Houlton girls soccer team had a remarkable Cinderella run that saw the team fall just short of making it to the state title game.
Houlton had a tremendous year on the pitch last season, finishing 14-1-2 and was the top seed in Eastern Class C. That one loss, however, is the one that likely still stings for 10-year coach Tim Tweedie as it came in the EM championship. The Shires fell 1-0 to No. 3 Fort Kent in a game decided on penalty kicks when neither team was able to score during regulation or two overtime periods.
With the bulk of his team back this year, expectations are high for coach Tweedie and the Shires, which is also one his biggest concerns.
“My biggest concern for the season is the expectations weighing on the kids,” Tweedie said. “I’ve heard it, so I know they have. I think it’s sometimes easy for people to forget that these are just kids playing a game and that they don’t have to be perfect all of the time. Maybe it’s because of how successful we were last year, and I’m sure some of it has to do with the success a few of the players had in basketball last winter (Houlton won the Class C state title), but this isn’t last year and it isn’t basketball.”
This year’s roster features is packed with veteran leaders (including 7 seniors) and many skilled underclassmen. The Shire seniors are Chelsea Gentle (sweeper), Katie Condon (striker/goalkeeper), Natalie Hill (central midfielder), Allix Hanson (midfielder), Megan Collett (fullback), Evelyn Pratt (fullback) and Kelly McLaughlin (midfielder).
Juniors include Mackenzie Hunt (fullback), Hannah Foley (goalkeeper), Chloe Davis (midfielder), Emma Peterson (midfielder) and Emma Hines, while the sophomores feature Tyra Gentle (fullback), Kolleen Bouchard (striker), Mia Hanning (midfielder), Claire Gilpatrick (midfielder/fullback), Lexi Miller (fullback/midfielder), Anessa Wilde (midfielder), Aspen Flewelling (midfielder), Rebecca Mooers (striker), and Carolyn Mooers (fullback). The lone freshman is Jamie Brown.
“We return a great core of players,” Tweedie said. “ Natalie, Katie and Kolleen were all named to the All-Aroostook and All-Penobscot Valley Conference teams. And Chelsea was one of 22 All-State players last year. That core of players is great to build around.”
Replacing Emily Mooers, one of the team’s top scorers a year ago who graduated this past spring, will be a challenge, Tweedie added.
The team’s strengths are its depth and experience. “Most of the girls on the roster got to experience a deep playoff run last year,” Tweedie said. “ We have a lot of players coming off the bench that would be starting for most teams. We’ve worked hard to create depth and competition for positions, so hopefully that will pay off. If we keep fresh bodies in the game, we should be able to play at a pace, both offensively and defensively, that will wear our opponents down late in games.”
As talented as the Shires are, that is not to say there is not room for improvement.
“We have lots of things we need to work on,” the coach said. “One of the key things is moving without the ball. Because we have a couple of players that have the ability to occasionally beat an opposing defense by themselves, doesn’t mean we should ever do that. We need to get better at working as a team to score goals and possess the ball. In order to do this, we’ve got to get better at working without the ball to create opportunities for each other.”
Assisting Tweedie are Cliff Urquhart (junior varsity coach) and Jason Gilpatrick (assistant coach). Urquhart coached the Southern Aroostook varsity boys team for the past nine years, bringing a wealth of experience. “It’s not every day that you find someone who has won 100 varsity games wanting to come coach JV and assist with the varsity,” Tweedie said. “We are extremely lucky to have him.”
Gilpatrick has extensive coaching experience at the club level from his time in California. “Jason has already made a positive impact,” Tweedie said. “I’ve already picked up a few things from both of the new coaches.”
Keeping things fresh after 10 years is not difficult, Tweedie said.
“What I most enjoy is the time spent with the players and other coaches,” he said. “ We end up spending so much time together, working to achieve the same goal, that you almost end up like a second family. You go through all of the same ups and downs, so the bonds we make are definitely impactful.”
Tweedie said Orono, Fort Kent and Madawaska will once again be among the Shires’ toughest competition.
“Right now, all we’re thinking of is becoming the best team we can be by November and if we lose a few games along the way, we’re not going to panic,” Tweedie said. “We just want to get better every day and in order to do that, we have to insulate ourselves from the expectations and from thinking three months down the road. Right now, all I care about is getting better today and we’re trying to instill that mindset into our team.”
Houlton opens its season Friday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. hosting Madawaska.
