Ani Roberts wasn’t expecting to play soccer for the Bangor High School girls team this season.
The talented junior midfielder played just a little at the end of last season, but she was limited after having a meniscus transplant in her left knee in the spring of 2021.
After recovering from that injury, Roberts broke her right kneecap while running in August, but she made her first appearance of the season Tuesday night in Bangor’s 2-0 Class A North quarterfinal win over Oxford Hills of South Paris.
She played significant minutes as starting midfielder Olivia Scott missed the game due to illness.
Roberts had several touches on the ball, made some crisp passes and didn’t show any ill effects from her broken kneecap.
The pressure of a playoff game didn’t seem to bother her at all.
In a late October game last fall, she scored a goal in Bangor’s 2-1 win over Mt. Blue of Farmington in her first game back off the meniscus transplant.
She was pleased with Tuesday’s appearance.
“It felt great,” Roberts said. “Both of my knees felt great.”
She said that her kneecap had a “rare break,” and she didn’t require surgery, which enabled her to return to the team this season.
“It was easier just to let it heal on its own,” said Roberts, who spent a lot of time in physical therapy and also did a lot of work on her own.
Her presence gave the team a lift.
“It was really nice when she came back last year. She had so much energy, we were so happy for her,” said senior winger Anna Connors.
“Again, this year, we had the same emotions for her,” Connors added. “She looked really good. She was ready to play.”
Bangor coach Andrew Varisco said it was great seeing Roberts out on the field again.
“She has had to spend so much time away from the game,” Varisco said. “She played well. We’re just going to have to watch her minutes.”
Varisco said in addition to her skill, Roberts brings a lot of energy to the team and is very popular with her teammates and coaches.
Roberts and the second-seeded Rams, now 10-1-4, will host No. 3 Camden Hills, 11-3-1, in a Saturday morning semifinal at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. Game time is 11 a.m.
Bangor has won eight games in a row and the Windjammers have won seven straight.
The two teams played to a 2-2 overtime tie on Sept. 9 in Bangor as Camden Hills erased a 2-0 deficit with goals 49 seconds apart midway through the second half.