By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

Steve Ouellette has two soccer schedules for the fall season.

One schedule includes the Monmouth Academy boys’ soccer team and the other does not. With the start of the preseason less than a month away, the Mustangs’ athletic director isn’t sure which schedule will be needed.

“Right now, I don’t know where we stand other than I know we have about 14 kids signed up,” said Ouellette. “Right now, I need two things. I’m missing numbers, and I’m missing a coach.”

A Monmouth program that won back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000 is on the verge of extinction. After 12 years with the program, Gary Trafton resigned in the spring. The Mustangs graduated seven seniors and have just eight players with any varsity experience signed up to play in the fall. The rest of the interested players have limited or no experience.

With Monmouth’s budding football program gaining steam, the soccer program has struggled to compete and maintain interest. The Mustangs went 11-2-1 and finished second in Western Class C but may not be able to sustain its soccer tradition.

“The bottom line was that the numbers have been down a lot lately,” said Ouellette. “It’s difficult for me to send a group of kids out there when they don’t have any experience.”

Ouellette says there currently are no applicants for the open coaching position. He intends to have meetings with players and parents in the coming weeks to determine what the future might hold for the Mustangs.

“It’s difficult and disappointing, the fact we had such an outstanding program for so many years, and now we don’t have the numbers,” said Ouellette.

Ouellette has not sent a schedule to the Maine Principal’s Association, yet. The Mountain Valley Conference has structured a schedule that includes Monmouth and one that does not. If Monmouth should attempt to field a team and then be forced to forfeit a game, the varsity program would endure a two-year suspension.

“For me, it’s a very difficult situation,” said Ouellette. “Do you go out there with 14 kids, some that have no playing experience? Do you risk injuries and eligibility issues? I don’t want to put our program or our kids in a situation where we forfeit, and then we’re done for two years.”

Ouellette said he had briefly entertained the thought of combining with another soccer program but quickly dismissed the notion. He said that process was too lengthy and would take more time than is currently available.

“Right now, we hope we have the numbers and can get a team together and go from there,” he said.