AUBURN — It was a day that Marty Bressler has awaited for nearly a decade.

When the St. Dom’s soccer teams took the field early Monday morning for the first of two sessions, Bressler was making his long-awaited goal come true as the coach of the Saints varsity boys’ team.

“This has been a lifelong dream of mine,” said Bressler, who replaced Matt Erickson, who coached the program for four years. “Ever since I started teaching here at St. Dom’s nine years ago, I knew I wanted to be coach of this team someday.”

When the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams met in the rain at 7 a.m. Monday, there wasn’t an unfamiliar feel for Bressler and his new team. He’s coached in the system for the last eight years.

“I’m really blessed that I got to coach this group of seniors as freshmen,” Bressler said. “They’re a very special group to me. They mean a lot to me personally.”

That made the transition a smooth one as the Saints kick off the new season. With roughly 40 players on the field, the Saints adapted quickly to the new coach.

“We had him freshman year for a coach, so we knew what to expect,” said senior goalie Cam Hainey. “He always wants us to be the best we can be conditioning-wise and in skills.”

The boys were eager to start the season, which included another session at 5 p.m. in wet conditions.

“He gave us a running plan that we did,” said senior midfielder Austin Gervais. “It was really hard, but it got us prepared for tryouts, which will get us prepared for the season. We’re all really excited. We know what we need to do and know we can do it.”

Coming off a Class C state title in 2009, the boys finished last fall’s regular season 12-1-1, but lost in the Western C semifinals to Waynflete.

“We have high expectations for this year,” Hainey said. “We’re ready to win another state championship. A lot of people don’t expect us to go anywhere, but we know what our team can do.”

The Saints lost six regulars from last year’s club. That leaves a lot of talent and experience to replace.

“We did lose some key guys, but it made us realize that we have to win by unity and not by individual skills,” Gervais said.

Bressler’s familiarity with the group already gives him an idea of what great potential is there.

“Last year we were very disappointed with what happened to us in the playoffs,” Bressler said. “The kids came hungry into this season. We’re very excited. I think we’re going to do pretty well, but it all depends on the senior leadership.”

The girls’ squad is also excited for this fall’s campaign. Coach Kathy Little admits she’s been looking forward to this week since summer soccer.

“I looked at my assistant coach back in summer soccer in June and was like, ‘I’m excited for the season, I’m ready to go,'” Little said. “It’s been like that since, ‘Preseason’s coming; let’s go. Let’s start the season.'”

It’s the same for the Saints. Last year’s squad went further than any other St. Dom’s girls’ team, losing to Sacopee Valley in the Western C final. That was after at 13-0-1 regular season.

“It’s very exciting,” junior forward Kayla McLellan said. “We’re looking forward to the season. We have been ready for the first day of tryouts and getting in shape working toward a state championship.”

Even the steady rains that plagued practice and left the fields and players soaked didn’t dampen the spirits. The girls, who had nearly 30 players on the field, practiced at 7 a.m. and returned for a 4 p.m. session.

“The rain was nice,” junior defender Courtney Costello said. “It’s a lot nicer than it would be practicing in the sun. Last year, I remember the whole time was very sunny in the first session, and the year before it was even worse.”

After last year’s success, and a second straight Mountain Valley Conference title, the Saints are eager to see what this year could bring.

“I was excited and nervous and anxious to see what this week is going to be like this year,” junior midfielder Kelley McLellan said. “I think we can get close together and make stuff happen.”

The girls’ squad graduated four seniors and lost another veteran to transfer, but the Saints still have high hopes.

“There’s definitely high expectations,” Little said. “We’ve got a strong core returning with quite a few seniors and juniors. We definitely should be right up there, but there’s a lot of work to do between now and then.”

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