This was a splendid week to be a former student-athlete from Edward Little High School.
Numerous Red Eddies of recent vintage and one who earned his headlines more than 40 years ago are enjoying center stage, beginning with a talented women’s soccer tandem at Maine Maritime Academy.
Amy Asselin, a senior forward at the Castine college, was named North Atlantic Conference Player of the Week for her accomplishments from Sept. 19 through 25.
Propelled by Asselin’s three goals and one assist, the Mariners swept three games during the week to tighten their grip on first in the league standings. Asselin scored twice in a 5-2 triumph over Thomas, provided the goal in a 1-0 shutout of Johnson State and struck again in a 3-2 road victory over Castleton State.
Asselin, who weaved a hat trick earlier this season against the University of Maine-Presque Isle, has 10 goals and three assists for 23 points in only 10 games. She’s the all-time Maine Maritime scoring leader and the first woman to exceed 100 points.
After its first-ever win at Castleton, MMA is 5-0 in the NAC, an NCAA Division III conference.
Delivering the second half of Maine Maritime’s one-two punch is another Auburn native, junior midfielder Kristen Gaylord. Her six goals this season include a pair versus Becker and two more against Thomas.
Rattling the cage
During Asselin and Gaylord’s high school career, EL had the rare distinction of fielding championship-caliber girls’ soccer and field hockey programs at the same time. Sarah Brooker played on a Western Class A field hockey championship squad during the school’s time in the Southern Maine Activities Association, and she’s still carrying a big stick at the collegiate level.
Brooker was named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference field hockey Player of the Week after triggering three wins for Springfield College. Brooker had a hand in three of the Pride’s four goals, scoring one and assisting two, in a 4-1 victory over Plymouth State. She also snapped a scoreless tie in overtime to shove Springfield past Amherst.
The senior co-captain leads Springfield with six goals and two assists. Springfield was ranked No. 9 in the most recent Division III poll.
Blazing new trails
Two graduates of the Red Eddies’ strong cross country tradition enjoyed a pair of exceptional recent performances.
On the men’s side, Chris Pelliccia finished 12th for the home team at the Middlebury Invitational. Pelliccia ran the course in 28:42 for the Panthers, who placed five runners among the top 13.
At the University of Maine, Lauren LaRoche ran second in a time of 19:39 to help the Black Bears sweep the top three spots in a dual women’s meet against the University of New Hampshire. LaRoche trailed teammate Hana Pelletier by less than a minute. Maine hosts the annual Murray Keatinge Invitational this weekend.
Coach gets due
Husson College goes back to the future Saturday, inducting five of its all-time greats into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. One of those lifetime achievers is John Boucher, a three-sport athlete and respected youth soccer coach.
Boucher starred in soccer, golf and baseball at Husson after his EL days, graduating in 1966. Later, he coached the girls’ soccer team at Souhegan High School in Amherst, N.H., to an astonishing eight consecutive state titles. He won nearly 90 percent of his games at the school.
Accompanying Boucher into Husson’s hall are Raymond Alley, who scored more than 5,000 points in his combined high school and college basketball career, women’s hoop star Stephanie Shaw, Troy Martin (baseball) and Lorinda Yanush Carroll (softball).
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