Isabella Meadows scored 174 goals in her four-year All-State and All-Region career at Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield, Massachusetts, before spending two years at the University of Connecticut.
But in two seasons at UConn, she appeared in only seven games for a combined total of 123 minutes.
Meadows transferred to the University of Maine and has regained her scoring touch, leading the Black Bears in goals with seven and points with 16 to earn All-America East first team honors heading into Thursday’s 7 p.m. America East quarterfinal matchup with Albany at the New Balance Soccer Complex in Orono.
UMaine will be seeking a fourth consecutive conference tourney title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Third seed UMaine is 7-5-4 overall and 4-2-2 in the conference while sixth seed Albany is 5-7-3 and 3-3-2. UMaine beat Albany 2-0 in Orono on Sept. 20, but the Great Danes are unbeaten in their last four games, going 2-0-2.
Junior Meadows was joined on the All-America East first team by senior midfielder Abbey Thornton of Windham, junior defender Olivia Grisdale and senior Luise Reinwald, who was also chosen as the Midfielder of the Year.
It was the first time since 2005 that UMaine had put four players on the first team and also had a Midfielder of the Year. Marie-Andree Canuel won it in 2005.
UMaine head coach Scott Atherley said Meadows has always been a natural goal scorer, and she has regained her confidence after a “valuable experience last spring” in the program after she transferred following the first semester.
“She has good instincts around the goal,” Atherley said. “She knows how to time her runs and how to get into the right spaces.”
He also said she can score with both feet, and she has good speed.
She has two game-winning goals.
“She has been a great find for us,” Atherley added.
Reinwald had three goals and an assist, and Atherley called her the “engine” that makes the team go.
“She does a number of things that have been so impactful for us,” Atherley said. “She wins every second ball, she has exceptional field vision and she knows how to get out of pressure. She can really track the ball.”
Reinwald was an All-America East second team pick a year ago and an All-Rookie team selection her freshman year.
Grisdale has anchored a UMaine defense that has allowed just one goal per game and has held opponents to one goal or less 12 times.
She also has an assist.
“She has exceptional composure,” Atherley said. “She is a converted midfielder so she has a midfielder’s vision. She can see the whole field. She also has excellent speed.”
Thornton has had her best season at UMain, according to Atherley. She had two goals and a team-high five assists.
“She knows how to play off other people,” Atherley said. “And she wins a lot of first and second balls.”
He also said she is surprisingly strong.
Thornton, Reinwald and goalkeeper Elena Barenberg were chosen to the league’s All-Academic team.
Aja Turner (3 goals, 2 assists) and Oklahoma State transfer Sandrine Breault (2 goals, 3 assists) are also among UMaine’s top scorers. Barenberg has a 1.00 goals-against average and a .758 save percentage with four shutouts.
Albany has been led by Sydney Kofton (3 goals, 2 assists) and Kiara Levac (3 goals, 1 assist) along with AE All-Rookie Team choices forward Oluchi Njoku and defender Lila Algarin. Goalkeeper Claudia Volino has a 1.97 GAA, a .698 save percentage and three shutouts.