A move to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference presents a big challenge for Lewiston and Edward Little.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

Dave Morin and Mike McGraw could have pulled out their respective team’s soccer schedules and argued which had it worse.

Morin’s Edward Little boys’ soccer team opened with the loaded defending state champions from Lawrence and followed that up with tradition-rich Brunswick and Waterville.

McGraw’s Lewiston boys’ drew Waterville, Mt. Ararat, Skowhegan and Brunswick.

Welcome to the KVAC.

“If we can withstand this emotionally and mentally, some guys get so down in the dumps they won’t be able to recover from it,” said Morin, whose club started the year 0-3 before Tuesday’s win over Medomak Valley. “We just have to be able to recover from that and just continue to improve because we are playing an incredibly tough schedule to start out.”

McGraw’s Blue Devils have started 1-1-2 beating the Indians in overtime and tying Mt. Ararat and Brunswick.

“I expected it to be physical,” said McGraw. “I expected them to play hard. I expected there to be a lot of passing. That seems to be the case. It’s less sterile than down south. It’s good soccer (in the SMAA), but I don’t think it has as much meaning as it does here.”

What has been traditionally a very tough conference has only gotten more challenging with four quality programs joining the mix. It is making for some interesting matchups and some intriguing twists to the season.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Brunswick boys’ coach Peter Gardner. “I think they’re a good addition.”

The KVAC has been considered one of the best soccer conferences in the state. The league boasts 11 Class A state titles in both boys’ and girls’. KVAC teams have won 19 Eastern Maine boys’ titles and 23 girls’ championships, including 14 straight. A KVAC club has won six of the last eight A boys’ state crowns.

The soccer programs at EL and Lewiston have developed excellent reputations and have been among the more respected in the SMAA field. So they bring pretty strong programs that should challenge most teams in their new league.

The two girls teams have started very well in their new surroundings. Lewiston is 2-0-1, including a 3-2 win over Mt. Ararat, and EL is 3-1.

“They’re both good programs, and they always have been,” said Oxford Hills girls’ coach Kyle Morey. “I like the fact that it gives us some games that are closer to home, and we could develop some rivalries with them too.”

Lewiston and Edward Little players have played KVAC teams in middle school in the past but were then introduced to SMAA foes. It should help breed familiarity with a number or local teams.

“It would be great,” said Morey. “Our kids play them all the time in middle school. So they’ll be used to playing each other by the time they get to high school.”

Having some games closer to home certainly helps. Leavitt, Oxford Hills, Morse, Brunswick, Cony and Mt. Ararat are all within 45 minutes of Lewiston and Auburn. So that should make life a little easier for many.

“I’ve found that the schedule seems to be more conducive, if you play a long away game, it’s at the end of the week or on a Saturday,” said McGraw. “That’s a good thing. Down the road, that’s going to pave the way for some great rivalries once things get established.”

The Lewiston and Edward Little teams have often played KVAC clubs in preseason. So that has helped pave the way for this transition.

“We’ve played Brunswick for a long time,” said Morin, whose team lost to the Dragons 3-0 in the second game of the season. “This is the worst beating they’ve given us. Last year, we were 1-1 with them in the preseason. The year before that, we beat them 1-0. Right now, it’s a matter of having a little bit of confidence and improving our skills.”

In boys’ soccer, the SMAA has been known as a more physical league than the KVAC. Both Lewiston and EL have done well playing that hard-nosed physical style and will have to adapt a little playing against heavily skilled teams like Brunswick but overall, there may not be that big a change.

“I think our groups is so diverse,” said Gardner. “Mt. Ararat, they’re big and they’re strong. They can play both ways. Lawrence can play both ways. Waterville can play both ways. Skowhegan and Gardiner are getting to that point. I think we have a pretty balanced league.”

On the girls’ side, it may be the opposite.

“The KVAC is probably more physical than the SMAA,” said Morey. “They might be a little more skilled at the top end.”

The most significant adjustment will be getting accustomed to the subtle individual differences between programs.

“Every team has its own personality and it’s own style,” said McGraw. “Whereas in Southern Maine you have teams that may be clones of each other. Here there seems to be a real difference. The one common denominator is how hard kids play.”

With two more competitive clubs in the respective Eastern Maine standings, it could create quite a race for playoff spots. Typically, KVAC teams have been battling teams from Northern Maine, Bangor and Hampden, for tournament berths. Two more KVAC teams will make it that much more crowded.

“I don’t know how things are going to sort out,” said Morey. “I hope they don’t squeeze some KVAC teams out. When you beat each other up in your own league that allows some of the Northern teams to make it.”