The Hermon High School girls soccer team has been one of the state’s best for the last decade.
Over the past 11 seasons, the Hawks have compiled a regular season record of 140-9-5.
The Hawks have won 52 consecutive games against North region opponents including playoff games. That grows to 62 if you add in the 10 wins they posted during the shortened COVID-19 pandemic season when teams played a condensed schedule.
They are the defending three-time Class B North champions — but have yet to win a state title. And despite losing four key players from last year’s squad, head coach M.J. Ball still expects the team to be successful this season.
“We are still going to be very talented. We are going to look a lot different, which is fine. Every year is different,” Ball said. “We will have to figure out what system we’re going to play and where to plug in the new players.”
Hermon came close to winning a state title a year ago, building a 2-0 lead over Yarmouth only to wind up losing 3-2 in double overtime. The team lost to Cape Elizabeth in the previous two state finals, 4-0 and 3-0.
Ball, who took over in 2014, has compiled a regular season record of 113-5-4, including the COVID-19 season. Six of his teams have gone undefeated during the regular season.
Ball will have to replace three Maine Soccer Coaches Association All North Class B Regional performers in striker Lyndsee Reed and midfielders Allie Cameron and Michaela Saulter.
Reed scored 103 career goals, including 41 a year ago. Cameron and Saulter enabled the Hawks to control the midfield and Ball estimated that they combined to score 100-plus goals in their careers. Dependable center back Ally Coxson also graduated.
Ball said having that foursome for four years was a “luxury.”
But junior midfielder Brook Gallop, who was also an All-Class B North Class B Regional selection, and senior goalkeeper Bella Bowden are confident that the Hawks can contend for another title.
“We’re just going to have to figure out different things, like what is the best position for some of the players and what is the best formation to use,” Gallop said.
Bowden said she doesn’t expect Hermon to win by as many lopsided scores as a year ago, “but I definitely think we will still win most of our games.”
The Hawks do return a pair of strikers who had impressive freshmen seasons.
Madison Stewart scored 29 goals and Natalie Tardie scored 15, including one of the goals in the state game.
“They’re very solid,” Gallop said.
Junior Sam Grover, who transferred from Hampden Academy a year ago, missed most of last season with a knee injury but is now healthy and will complement Stewart and Tardie.
Ball said Stewart, Tardie and Grover give his team the potential to have “three 20-goal scorers, which is something we’ve never had. We’ve had two before.”
Senior Izzy Byram was an outside midfielder a year ago and will move inside to accompany Gallop.
Junior Olivia Johnston and senior Eva Benjamin will be outside midfielders and are returning to soccer after doing fall cheering last year.
The back line will be made up exclusively of first-time starters.
Sophomore Erin Selleck and senior Saige Lang saw some playing time as reserves a year ago as did senior Ellie Williams, who can also play in the midfield. Senior Nevaeh Kenney will also play in the back after being a cheerleader last fall.
Bowden may be called upon to bail the defense out from time to time and she is relishing the challenge.
“I didn’t see many shots last year. I was bored. But I expect to see more shots this season and I’m looking forward to it because it will help me [develop],” said Bowden, who made eight saves during an outstanding performance in the state title game.
Gallop said she is looking to be influential in the midfield but she also wants to make sure she helps the new players make a successful transition to their roles.
“We have nine new players who are all battling for playing time and some are freshmen who are getting their feet wet,” Ball said. “We have to stay healthy, be consistent and play smart. We can’t give up stupid goals. We will need to pressure the ball and have a high work rate, which has been our staple the past eight years. We try to not get outworked.”
Nearly all of the players play club soccer together in the offseason so the transition won’t be dramatic.
And Ball, Bowden and Gallop are elated to be playing on the Hawks’ new artificial turf field.
“It’s amazing,” Bowden said. “We’ve been waiting to have a turf field since we were freshmen.”
The ball will have more pace and they will have to make decisions quicker, but the players are adapting to it and enjoying it.
It will give them an advantage over teams that play on grass, they said.
“In years past, when we got to the playoffs, it took us time to get used to playing on turf. So we will be turf-ready now. The game is totally different on turf,” Ball said.
The Hawks open their season at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. when they host the Ellsworth High School Eagles.