ORONO, Maine – Players on winning teams will often say part of their success stems from having a family atmosphere on and off the field.
The team members care for each other and play for each other.
The current University of Maine women’s soccer team takes that family atmosphere to another level.
Literally.
The Black Bears have three sets of sisters on their roster after having two sets a year ago.
The Kraemer sisters, graduate student Kayla and senior Abby, will be playing their fourth season together at UMaine this fall; graduate student Emma Schneider and senior sister Myla will be in their third seasons together and junior Rebecca Grisdale and incoming freshman sister Olivia will be in their first campaign as college teammates.
Last fall was Rebecca Grisdale’s first season at UMaine after transferring in from Memphis.
The five of them who were here last season were all factors in UMaine’s 11-2-6 campaign and first America East tournament championship and NCAA playoff berth.
Striker Abby Kraemer became the school’s first women’s soccer All-American, a second-team selection, after leading the team in scoring with 13 goals and 4 assists in 18 games. She was named the America East Striker of the Year.
Kayla Kraemer, also a forward, was the team’s third-leading scorer with four goals and one assist in 19 games.
The Schneiders and Grisdale anchored the back line that helped the Black Bears limit opponents to just 20 goals in 19 games.
Grisdale topped the team in minutes played with 1,651 and was an America East all-tournament team selection.
Myla Schneider, was second in minutes played (1,636) and was an All-America East first team choice.
Emma Schneider, who transferred to UMaine from Florida Gulf Coast in 2022, was fourth in minutes played (1,509).
Graduate student forward Tegan Morrison said having three sets of sisters on the team is advantageous.
“They bring in such good chemistry. They know each other so well. It’s nice that we can build off that chemistry with them, too. It’s fun,” said Morrison.
UMaine head coach Scott Atherley agrees.
“It’s really cool to see the family dynamic come into the team dynamic,” said Atherley. “They’re all terrific kids and they have great values. They are all quality players and amongst our hardest workers.”
Abby Kraemer said the sisters view the team as extended family.
“A big thing about our team and our culture is we like to be a second family to people. So when we can bring in our first family, it’s amazing,” she said.
Being able to join their sisters at UMaine was definitely one of the major reasons Abby Kraemer, Emma Schneider and Olivia Grisdale decided to come to Orono.
“I heard about the great culture here. (Rebecca) would talk about it all the time,” said Olivia Grisdale. “I already knew there were two sets of sisters here so why not make it a third set?”
Emma Schneider said having a sister already at the college made moving in easier.
“Moving away to college is a scary thing but there is nothing better than having your sister there to do it with you. I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. I love that part of it,” said Emma Schneider, who is actually older than sister Myla but spent a season at Florida Gulf Coast.
Olivia Grisdale said having her older sister around is especially nice because the Grisdales are from Calgary, Alberta, which is 4,006 miles from Orono. The Schneiders are also from Calgary while the Kraemers are from Waterloo, Ontario, which is 1,116 miles away.
“I’m not as homesick,” said Olivia. “It’s definitely nice playing on the same team with her.”
Rebecca Grisdale said being reunited with her younger sister has been eye-opening.
“I’m still adjusting. Seeing (Olivia) out of the house in the real world is so funny,” said Rebecca Grisdale. “I still try to act as her older sister but I also have to let her do her own thing.”
There is a little sibling rivalry according to Rebecca Grisdale “but, at the end of the day, I just want her to do the best she can. I’m proud of her.”
Kayla Kraemer said being part of three sets of sisters is enjoyable.
“We all kind of go at it together in our warmup drills. We all get super competitive with each other. We chirp at each other. It’s fun. It helps us get better as players and keep the culture strong,” she said.
Atherley said he finds it impressive that these women who have grown up in the same house together for their entire lives decided they wanted to play together in college.
“The cool part about it is to see how close these kids really become,” said Atherley. “This is the period in their lives where those bonds really form. I think about my own daughters. They have their close moments and moments when they fight but, in the end, they really appreciate each other.”
