Lady Cougars showing heart and lots of spirit

By Gloria Austin 
Staff Writer
    Determination, spirit and heart are crucial components to the Katahdin Lady Cougars soccer team this season.
    The Lady Cougars narrowly field a full squad, but they are still competitive in each game they have played.
    “We have no subs,” said Katahdin coach and Athletic Director Phil Faulkner. “Every one we have played has huge numbers, and our kids have to go 80 minutes without a break. They go without a drink and without a replacement, so they have done pretty well so far.”
    Before the season began, the Lady Cougars lost three girls to injury and sickness, and Faulkner said, some other kids decided not to play thus leaving the Katahdin team hampered.
    “We are down to 10 girls,” Faulkner explained. “The rule is you can start with nine and you can’t play with less than seven. If you don’t have nine, you have to forfeit; and if you forfeit a game, you have to forfeit the rest of the season, which means next year too.”
    With that in mind, the seniors started scurrying to find bodies to fill positions so they could play out their senior year.   
    However, Faulkner praises his squad for their gritty attitude despite the situation.
    “We have done well,” he said. “We are still hoping to maybe make the playoffs. They are very capable of doing it.”
    The Lady Cougars are still adjusting to new roles within the team, but Faulkner is confident that his players will make the most of the season.
    “We come into every game with a positive attitude,” he said. “They have been very positive with a great work ethic, and hopefully, if we can get a win or two, that would be plus for us.”
    In their first two games of the year, the Lady Cougars held their own against two strong opponents, Fort Fairfield and Southern Aroostook. Katahdin lost both games by a goal.
    “They played these teams to a stand still,” Faulkner explained. “They played tremendously.”
    A team attribute is their quickness and their defensive prowess. Faulkner all his players are fairly quick, but he has to modify his field positions to compensate for the lack of numbers.
    “We are always short a player or two and usually we sacrifice that on the very last line of our defense,” explained Faulkner. “If we get beat in the middle or down the wing and everyone rotates properly, we are going to be short somewhere in the middle and this has been our downfall.”
    Even though the team started with seven players and the Lady Cougars didn’t look they would even have a team and they may be out a soccer team for two years, Faulkner said his girls have “improved great strides” since the preseason.
    “I even went to the board and told them we probably may have to cancel the season, which we didn’t want to do,” explained Faulkner. “If a school cancels the season after the schedule has gone to MPA [Maine Principals’ Association], the school is out two years. So, the seniors have come forward and stepped up and got some players and the kids have dug in and they want to play and they have worked extremely hard.”
    Faulkner is pleased with his players’ effort and attitude.
    “They have outdone themselves,” he said. “If they continue to improve, it’s hard to tell what might happen by the end of the season. But, we have to be in the very best shape we can be in order to compete at the high school level … we need to get in shape and get over some injuries.”
    Playing for the team is first-year goalie senior Jade Clippinger.
    “She is doing an outstanding job for us,” Faulkner said. “She held the top two or three ‘D’ teams to one goal. She is learning and a lot of her teammates are learning with her because they had to move to different positions.”
    Katahdin’s offense is led by sophomore left wing Melissa Duffy and senior right wing Brooke Livezey.
    “They are our two leading scorers,” Faulkner said. “They are assisted well by our left halfback Olivia McNally [sophomore] and right halfback Mary Jo Robinson [senior].”
    Faulkner calls senior JaLisa Moore his “defensive specialist” at center forward, and she is the mainstay for the team’s midfield defense.
    Senior Delaney Pokorny has just joined the team this season, but her coach said she is “contributing on defense.”
    Then Faulkner said he has the three “amigas” — center halfback junior Kali Rush, center fullback sophomore Dani-Beth Cyr and sweeper junior Hope Heath.
    “They cover the back for us,” Faulkner said. “We hope to keep picking up some players, and our newest addition is freshman Kasey Brackett.”
    Rounding out the team is assistant coach Angie Qualey, along with managers Georgia Qualey and Taylor Evans.