Anna Molloy said she has been playing soccer “ever since I could stand.”
That was until this past fall, when she became a freshman student at the University of Maine.
But the former Orono High School soccer standout and three-time Maine Soccer Coaches Association Northern Maine Class C Regional team selection has returned to the soccer field as one of three newcomers added to the University of Maine’s women’s soccer team roster for the second semester.
She joins transfer defenders Hilary Washington (Baylor) and Meghan Bernetti (Campbell University).
Washington and Bernetti are scholarship athletes while Molloy is a non-scholarship recruited walk-on.
Molloy is a striker and has been reunited with UMaine head coach Scott Atherley, who coached her for five years with the Seacoast United soccer club.
Atherley explained that he didn’t have a spot for her on the roster last fall, but told her if she worked out in the fall, he would give her a shot in the spring.
“She has some really good ingredients,” said Atherley. “She has great speed and she scored a lot of goals for my club team. She’s pretty technical and has a clever knack around the goal.”
Atherley pointed out that he felt the spring season was a good time for Molloy to join the program “because you don’t have the stress of the (fall) season and outcomes to worry about.”
Molloy agreed with Atherley that the spring semester was a good time for her to join the program.
“I don’t have to prove myself overnight. I just have to worry about whether or not I can really fit on the team and try to make myself better,” Molloy said.
“I’ll see how she integrates with the team and how training goes, and evaluate her after the spring. She will have time to show her stuff,” added Atherley.
In addition to being an exceptional soccer player, Molloy was also a high-scoring All-State defenseman on the Penobscot Pioneers girls hockey team. The Pioneers are comprised of players from seven local high schools.
“I’m really excited,” said Molloy. “I’m glad I’m playing soccer again and get to play for Scott and Lise (assistant coach Lise Abbott).”
“Hopefully, if I work hard enough, I can earn my spot (on the fall roster),” added the 18-year-old Molloy, who began practice this week.
She knows there is a big adjustment from high school to Division I soccer, especially joining a team that will go into the fall as the defending two-time America East champion.
“I talked with my coaches and I know I have to be stronger on the ball, but that comes with playing at a higher level,” Molloy said. “You have to gain confidence in being able to play at a higher-paced level. There’s never been an opportunity for me like this before.”
She said she has been weight training for quite a while, knowing that part of playing at a higher level meant getting in the gym. She said that being able to work with a sports performance coach will further her development.
“But I know if I work hard, I can do it,” said the 5-foot-5 Molloy whose parents, Sally and Thomas, work at UMaine. “All of my teammates are really great. I know they will support me and build me up just like my coaches.”
Atherley lost three of his four fullbacks off this past fall’s team and he expects other new arrivals Washington and Bernetti to help fill the void.
The 5-foot-8 Washington played in three games as a freshman at Big-12 school Baylor last fall.
The Wellesley, Ontario native was involved in Canada’s national team development camp which prepares players for eventually earning a spot on the Canadian senior national team.
“She is an exceptional player. She is going to be very impactful for us,” Atherley said about Washington. “She has exceptional speed, she loves to get up and down the field and she has a really attacking mindset which fits our game model.”
The 5-foot-9 Bernetti, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, played in all 35 games for North Carolina-based Campbell University. That included 30 consecutive starts.
“She is really a prototypical center back,” Atherley said about Bernetti. “She is very good in the air, very strong and she is real good on the ball.”
At Campbell, Bernetti logged the most minutes on the team as a freshman (1,370) and second-most (1,384) last fall as a sophomore.
“She is also someone who will bring a level of experience to our team that will be very helpful,” added Atherley, whose Black Bears have gone a combined 24-4-9 the past two seasons including a 15-1-4 record against America East opponents during regular season and post-season play.
