CA girls look for consistency

It’s been an up-and-down start for the Central Aroostook Lady Panthers, but coach Dave Collins believes his team could be on the verge of a hot streak.
“There have been signs recently of being able to turn the corner and playing consistent, controlled soccer,” Collins said. “This group of girls can play the game with any team around when they come out with confidence in their skills and abilities.”     If nothing else, CA has shown marked improvement from a year ago, as the Lady Panthers won just twice in 13 outings in Collins’s first year after replacing Beaver Pierce, who had been the team’s only coach since the soccer program’s inception in the mid-1980s.
“It was a year of getting to know each other and getting used to a new system of play,” said Collins, who also noted that 11 of the team’s players in 2006 had not previously played at the high school level.
Central Aroostook counts heavily on four of its seniors — sweeper Miranda Levesque, midfielders Alex Dame, Shelby Hallett and Sarah Long – on the defensive end of the field, while sophomore Ashley Estabrook, another midfielder, is another cog on defense.
Senior Robyn Graham starts in goal, while classmate Latisha Neece also is a key player for the Lady Panthers.
The remainder of the starting lineup includes senior forward Amber Bradley, sophomore fullback Kaila Foster, sophomore fullback Sarah Michaud and freshmen midfielder Kristen Long.
Other CA players are senior fullback Shannon Michaud, junior fullback Rachel Donahue, junior forward Meagan McClay, sophomore fullback Rachel Donovan, sophomore forward Brittany Mosher, freshman midfielder/forward Mariah Cook and freshman forward Rebecca Grass.
“Our biggest key is confidence,” Collins said. “When these girls come around and start believing in themselves, we will be a team that others will have to watch out for.”