Husson University second-year head coach Madeline Hoeppner was faced with a dilemma when standout captain Kayla Royer, the only returning defender from 2014, suffered a season-ending leg injury on Oct. 24.
“It has been quite a challenge. Kayla was such a force. She’s our career record holder for defensive saves, and she scored a couple of goals for us. I didn’t think we’d be able to make it as far as we have without her.
“But freshmen Rylie Blanchet and Abigail Simmons have stepped up big-time for us,” said Hoeppner, whose 8-9 Eagles beat the University of Maine at Farmington 2-0 Saturday to capture their second straight North Atlantic Conference championship and earn a trip to Keene State College (New Hampshire) for Wednesday’s 4 p.m. NCAA Division III Tournament game.
Keene State, the Little East Conference champ, is 16-7 and is hosting a first-round game for the third straight year.
The winner of the Husson-Keene State game will travel to Bowdoin College in Brunswick to take on defending national champ and regional tournament host Bowdoin (18-0), the nation’s top-ranked team, at 11 a.m. Saturday. The winner of Wednesday’s 6 p.m. game in Biddeford between the University of New England (16-6) and 11-11 Becker College (Massachusetts) will take on No. 8 Wellesley in Saturday’s 2 p.m. game.
Sunday’s regional final will begin at 1 p.m..
Charleston’s Simmons had filled in as a defender for Husson when her former Foxcroft Academy teammate Lindsey Arno was sidelined by injury for a few weeks this season.
Skowhegan’s Blanchet had been seeing time off the bench in the midfield but was moved to fullback, joining Simmons and Arno, who has returned from her injury.
“They’re very quick, and they’re all good listeners,” said Hoeppner.
The Eagles’ back line will be challenged by an Owls team that features junior forward Sami Smith, who has 24 goals and six assists.
“We aren’t going to have someone stuck on her like glue all the time because it disrupts our midfield. But we will definitely have to mark her. It’ll be more of a group effort. We have more success when we do it that way,” said Hoeppner.
Husson is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009 and is still looking for its first win.
Sophomore forward Taylor Shaw from Plymouth was the catalyst in the NAC tourney for Husson with seven goals in two games to give her 10 on the season.
Skowhegan sophomore midfielder Mikayla Toth, who has three goals and seven assists on the year, was the tournament Most Valuable Player, and Simmons, Shaw, Dexter’s Libby Kain and Skowhegan goalie Anne-Marie Provencal also were all-tourney selections. Saco’s Lauren Russell (5 & 3) is tied with Toth for second on the team in scoring behind Shaw.