Click here to view original article - written by Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Paul Betit
The Seacoast United Mariners will make their Women's Premier Soccer League debut at 5 p.m. today against the Seacoast United Phantoms in Portsmouth, N.H.
The Mariners had 45 players try out for the team, which is made up entirely of women from Maine.
"I think we have a good selection of the best female players in Maine," Coach Lenny Hurrell said.
The players' age range is 18 to 29.
"We've got three or four girls who have graduated from college," Hurrell said. "Most of them are attending college."
Eight players will graduate from high school next month.
"This team has been put together to give the girls a high level of competition during their offseason," Hurrell said.
The Mariners are in the North Division of the WPSL's Northeast Atlantic Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer
League.
The top two teams in each of the NAC's three divisions will qualify for the playoffs. After those three rounds of competition, the winner will advance to the WPSL semifinals in Orlando, Fla., at the end of July.
The North division includes Aztec, which plays its home games at North Reading, Mass.; CFC Passion, which plays at Reece Stadium at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; New England Mutiny, which plays at East Longmeadow (Mass.,) High; Long Island Fury, which plays at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.; and the Seacoast United Phantoms, who are based in Portsmouth, N.H.
The home opener will be at 6 p.m. May 30 at the University of Southern Maine against the New England Mutiny.
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| Catherine Murch | Sam Peters |
SEACOAST UNITED MARINERS OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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Mariners Drop WPSL Opener to Phantoms 3-0
In their first game of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the Seacoast United Mariners fell to the Seacoast United Phantoms by a score of 3-0. The inaugural game for the Mariners marked the return Maine's representation in the WPSL for the first time since 2010.
The Phantoms controlled the tempo of the game overall, but the Mariners were able to frustrate their attack enough to enter halftime even at 0-0. The best scoring opportunity of the first half came in the 20th minute from Phantoms striker Krista Minto, who blasted a shot from close range only to be blocked by Mariners goalkeeper Lexi Weatherbie.
In the 2nd half, the Phantoms settled in and looked to increase the tempo of their passing game. With the Mariners finding difficulty in organizing, the Phantoms' midfielder Gina Righini received a pass from striker Andrea Nogueira and pushed the ball past Mariners' goalkeeper Jackie Doyle in the 56th minute. The Phantoms' Alyssa D'Arcy scored her first of the year in the 64th minute before Nogueira struck just 3 minutes later to secure a comfortable 3-0 lead on their way to their first win of the season.
The Seacoast United Mariners host their first home game on May 30th at the University of Southern Maine when they will face the New England Mutiny at 6pm.
