This is the season that many of the seniors on the Winthrop girls’ soccer team have worked toward.

After reaching the Western Class C final last fall and returning 13 seniors, the Ramblers have high hopes for their final go-round.

“I have 13 seniors that started the program in the sixth grade,” said Winthrop coach Marc Fortin. “We had so much success last year, it will be difficult to match that, never mind to do better, but we’re going to give it a shot.”

Among the 18 players returning is All-State forward Kaitlyn Dunn, who led the team in scoring last season with 14 goals. She’s joined up front by Laura Ravis, Aimee Simoneau and Elspeth Hilton. In the midfield, Heather Babb and Ashley Falcone return with experience, while the defense is anchored by Renee St. Hilaire, Ali Dick, Lisa Pennabere, Jamie Brindley and Jen MacMaster. Goaltender Katie Brooks is also back.

“We’ve got the horses, and now we have to keep them on the track,” said Fortin.

Dirigo should be one of the other top squads in the MVC. The Cougars won 12 games last year and reached the semifinals before losing to Traip, the team that beat Winthrop in the final. Dirigo lost some veteran talent but returns a skilled and athletic club. Among the returnees are top scorer and All-State forward Kassi Putnam and standout midfielder Alexa Kaubris.

Jessica Blaisdell is a veteran in goal, while Dani Glover, Melissa Porter and Kayleigh Daley should all help out up front. Filling the void defensively, where the club lost Beth Holman and Sheena Weston, will be the key.

“We will go as far as our defense allows,” said Dirigo coach Art Chamberlin. “We will have to score more goals this season than we did last year until the defense solidifies. If we get both ends of the field working well, we should be able to earn another shot at the playoffs.”

Wiscasset and Georges Valley should also be teams that could challenge the elite. The Redskins lost in the Western B semifinals but return a quality group that includes MVC All-Stars Colby Graffam and Lindsay Leone, also an All-State midfielder. The Buccaneers had no seniors last year and went 12-1-1. Georges Valley could be a powerhouse, led by three All-State players: stopper Rachel Campbell, midfielder Rebekah Raymond and forward Elena Bertocci.

Mt. Abram won six games last year and went to penalty kicks in overtime in the quarterfinals before falling at Dirigo. The Roadrunners lost defender Lanie Roy and goaltender Sara Martin but should still manage to field a playoff caliber team. Stephanie Hood is stepping into Roy’s job nicely. Katie Van Riper, Cassandra Perez, Whitney Fahy and Sadie White are all returning starters on what should be a solid club.

Monmouth also lost veteran talent at graduation, saying goodbye to All-Staters Bekah Bubier, Katie Stinson and Emily Gauthier. Still, the Mustangs return six starters: Kayla Pease, Erin Crocker, Bianca Cloutier, Laura Elliot, Kelsey Condon and Alex Gauthier. Cloutier had 10 goals last year for the Mustangs, while Pease, Crocker, Elliot and Gauthier anchor the defense and midfield.

Mountain Valley has a major rebuilding project after losing 13 players and 10 starters from last year. The Falcons only returning veterans are defender Mahala Patrick and forward Katie Heinzen.

Lisbon is also trying to improve its status in the league after a 1-11-2 season.

The Greyhounds have much of their squad back and are healthy after a season in which injury and inexperience took a toll. Returning upperclassmen Ali Gamage, Becky Castonguay, Dominique Mathieu, Andrea Piela, Amanda Burgess and Gabrielle Mathieu should help Lisbon field a stronger team this season.

Hall-Dale, Carrabec and Madison all could improve over last year.

All three squads return most of their talent back and have young up-and-coming teams.