Club Connection to Maine Tide and Sting
This weekend kicks off the WPSL soccer season when the Maine Tide faces Soccerplus CT at 4:00pm on Saturday, May 17th at Husson College. Next weekend the men’s team, the Maine Sting, begins their inaugural NPSL season on Saturday, May 24th at 1:00pm vs. the AC Diablos also at Husson College. Blackbear United Football Club (BUFC), a local non-profit youth soccer organization, will be there in full support with a sense of pride as they watch the new teams play and cheer on some of their own.
Blackbear United will be well represented on the Maine Tide and Sting’s rosters with eight players playing for the amateur teams, an alumnus on the staff, and a member of their coaching staff who played a pivotal role in getting the teams here to the Bangor region.
On the Maine Tide, six players have a connection with Blackbear United. Laura Harper and Kim Stephenson both coach for the club. Harper played at Maine for the past four years winning countless awards and trains the U12 Girls team who just qualified for the State Cup finals. Stephenson played her high school soccer at Hampden Academy before moving on the Maine to play her collegiate soccer. Stephenson is the assistant coach for the U16 Girls team and will be a senior this fall.
“Kim and Laura are such great role models for our players, especially the girls in our program. They see what they do at training and are amazed at their footwork and how simple they play. Now they can watch them in a competitive environment, cheer them on, and hope to play at that level someday,” comments MJ Ball, Director of Operations and co-founder of Blackbear United FC.
Four other players will play for the Maine Tide who played for the Blackbear United youth teams. Shelby (Pickering) Bradford played for four years including the inaugural 2001 season for Blackbear United before heading to Maine and then to Husson College for her collegiate soccer career. After three years with the club, Shelby won the Gatorade Player of the Year, was named an All-American, All New England and the Class D Player of the Year in 2004. “I am thrilled to see Shelby continue to succeed. As a member of our first team back in 2001, she played a key role in getting soccer on the map in our region. She traveled from Lee to training and games which is a real commitment. That commitment is paying off as she plays collegiate soccer and now for the Tide. We are very proud of her,” adds Ball.
Jessie Roberts, Hailey Blackburn and Meg Willette all played for Blackbear United U19 Girls team that represented Maine last summer at the prestigious Region One tournament. Each proved that they can play at a very high level and played significant roles on the team that not only won the State Cup, but advanced out of pool play to become the first girl’s team from the state of Maine to advance to the final four. They lost to the eventual Region One champion and national finalist, PWSI Cardinals out of Virginia.
Roberts opened the tournament with an incredible goal against the defending Region One champion PDA Wildcats. Roberts plays her collegiate soccer at Mercyhurst College in Western Pennsylvania. Her younger sister, Rachel, plays for the Blackbear United U18 Girls team.
Blackburn anchored the defense and was the team leader for the U19 Girls team. She scored the game winner in their second game on a thunderous header against Moon Area Soccer out of PA West to help Blackbear United win 2-1. Blackburn plays her collegiate soccer at Maine for another Blackbear United staff member, Jackie Gebhart who is the associate women’s head coach at Maine.
Willette scored the tying goal against PDA in the opening game, scored her second goal against Moon Area and then tallied two assists in the 4-0 win over Massachusetts which put the team into the regional semi-final. Willette plays for Lee University in Tennessee after playing for a two seasons at St. Joseph’s College of Maine where she set all kinds of records including most goals scored in a season.
“It will be wonderful to watch and support these girls this summer playing in our “backyard.” Last summer was such a great experience coaching them, now I can sit back, cheer, support and watch them have success playing for the Tide” says U19 Girls Coach MJ Ball.
On the men’s team, two players will represent Blackbear United. Dylan George was named the Class A Player of the Year in 2005 along with All American and All New England honors playing his high school soccer at Bangor High School and for Blackbear United and the Maine Terriers premier teams before continuing his soccer career at Bridgeton Academy and now at the University of New Hampshire.
Jordon Meyers has played for Blackbear United the past four years and is the youngest player to make the Maine Sting squad. In his junior year Meyers was captain of the John Bapst Crusaders varsity soccer team and was named to the Eastern Maine Class B First Team and All Eastern Maine State Team. He will decide on his collegiate future very soon. Playing for the Sting will only improve his opportunities.
Josh Bartlett played for Blackbear United for two years before deciding to play for Husson College and majoring in Sports Marketing. Bartlett attended Mt. Abram High School in Topsham and had significant travel playing for the club. His dedication paid off as he now plays a key role for the Eagles and is the Director of Operations for the Maine Tide and Sting.
Seth Brown is the Vice-President of Operations for the Maine Tide and Maine Sting and played a significant role in getting these teams to the Bangor region. His tireless efforts are appreciated by the entire soccer community. Brown coached the Blackbear United U12 Boys in 2006 and led them to the Region One tournament held in Virginia Beach.
Another connection to this weekend’s home opener is a player who plays on the visiting team, Soccerplus CT. Heather Hawthorn played her collegiate soccer at Maine and holds all kinds of records in her four-year career. During her senior season, Hawthorn was a marketing intern for Blackbear United. When Adidas sent professional player Joe Max-Moore to the Sports Arena for an autograph session with the club as part of a spring fundraiser, Hawthorn was highly involved in the planning, management and coordination of the event. Moore played professionally for the New England Revolution and Everton Football Club in the English Premier League and played internationally for the US National Team.
The Blackbear United Football Club began in 2001 with the goal of improving youth soccer in Eastern Maine. Since its inception the club has grown from 3 teams and 66 players to 14 teams and over 250 players plus a youth academy for players ages 6-12. The club has made a significant impact to the local high school successes, has become a contender in the State Cup tournament in all age groups sending four teams to the prestigious Region One tournament, has won numerous tournaments throughout New England and Canada, and has sent over 50 players to play at the collegiate level.
Through high quality technical and tactical development training sessions, Blackbear United players receive the necessary tools to play at the collegiate level. Blackbear United’s nationally licensed coaching staff is made up of the highest quality coaches with broad backgrounds of collegiate playing experience and expertise. Each fall players from the U18 girls and U18 boys’ teams move on to play collegiate soccer and now with the addition of the Maine Tide and Maine Sting have the opportunity to showcase their talent and ability at a very high level.
Comments Ball, “This is a very exciting time for the club and region. Our soccer community continues to grow and with some of our own players and staff involved will only add to the excitement. It’s great entertainment for all families, but from a club perspective we are really proud to see some of our own make it to such a good level. It’s very gratifying knowing that we are doing something right as a club and hopefully more players will come out and play knowing that playing club soccer does provide players more opportunities to succeed in soccer.”
Blackbear United is an affiliation partner with the Maine Tide and the Maine Sting and players are selling tickets as part of a fundraiser through the Maine Sting and Tide affiliation program.
Maine Tide and the Maine Sting websites.
