Sports

Women’s Soccer: Martel fights through injuries, closes out stellar UM career

UMaine senior named America East Striker of the Year

Posted on Nov. 09, 2009, at 2:04 a.m.

Preparing for her senior season with the University of Maine women’s soccer team, Laura Martel struggled with uncertainty.

With both knees surgically repaired and back problems since she arrived at UMaine, Martel asked herself, “Is it really worth it?” Then again, Martel has never shied away from a challenge.

The striker from Lewiston had America East Conference Championship aspirations for the Black Bears after experiencing the title game as a freshman and losing in the semifinals last year while not playing at nearly 100 percent.

Martel missed conference games as a sophomore with a locking sacrum, and then had surgery on her left knee the summer before her junior year. She roared out of the gates last year with a hat trick in the season opener, but two games later blew out her right knee and returned to the team late in the season at “about 75 percent” instead of redshirting, but did not score any more points.

“I got really frustrated, and that’s where my teammates came and helped and talked to me,” Martel said.

Martel started all 17 games for the Black Bears this season and scored in 10 of them. She had multi-goal games against Iona College and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, with her second career hat trick coming against UMBC. Her 13 goals and one assist for 25 points placed her 34th in the nation in points-per-game (1.59), and tied for 15th in goals-per-game (.765). UMaine fell to Binghamton University in penalty kicks to end this year’s run.

“I was going out just to prove myself every game,” Martel said. “I was taking each game at a time, not expecting to be healthy for the next game.”

Martel joined UMaine senior back Anjelica Hodgson on the America East First Team, after making the Second Team with six goals as a sophomore and the All-Rookie Team. The award UMaine coach Scott Atherley is most proud of is America East Striker of the Year, as Martel is the first Black Bear to receive the honor.

“There’s been some great forwards that have come through our program, and she leaves as having received and garnered that award,” Atherley said.

With experience lost in the midfield due to the graduation of veteran Kim Stephenson, Atherley made Martel an attacking-mid to start the season while younger players developed into their roles. Atherley knew the midfield position did not utilize Martel’s breakaway speed though, and was able to move her back up top after a few games.

“Part of the reason that we changed our formation was just to get her closer to goal, to have her play to her strengths, which is running past defenders, taking players on and scoring goals,” Atherley said. “We needed her more up front.”

Since soccer is not a prevalent high school fall sport in Maine, to gain exposure Martel played stints on every club team in Maine, along with leading the Lewiston Blue Devils with 87 goals and 33 assists in her four years. Martel gave up playing basketball in high school to play on multiple soccer teams at once.

“The competition I was playing against, I felt like I could compete with them,” Martel said. “I maybe wasn’t the superstar of the team or the camp, but I could compete. My speed, my skills were OK, they were mediocre, but I was able to compete with them. So I knew I was ready for a challenge.”

Martel credits her dad, who coached her in the Lewiston-Auburn Youth Soccer Association and middle school. Atherley feels Martel’s decision to commit to UMaine hinged on a desire to be successful in her home state and playing close enough for her parents to watch.

“One of the reasons that she wanted to come here, in addition to getting a good education, was the fact that she wanted to be the best soccer player that she could become,” Atherley said. “She felt that this was the best place for her.”

Martel graduated from Lewiston in 2006 and was an NSCAA/Adidas Girls High School All-American as a senior and Maine Class A Player of the Year. To Martel, all the recognition she has received in her career comes secondary to her teammates, who she considers “a second family.”

“Coach said to us, ‘You’re not going to remember the score of the game in 10 years, you’re going to remember the players,’” Martel said. “I’m going to remember my senior class, everybody that I’ve played with. Those are the things that are going to mean the most.”

Atherley felt Martel was full of potential when he recruited her due to her natural athletic ability and tenacity, but she lacked knowledge of soccer tactics that are essential at the college level.

“We just knew that if we could really polish her up and teach her a lot of the tactical things about the game that she would have the potential to really have an impact at this level,” Atherley said.

Martel quickly realized at the D-1 level she could not simply run by people and score at will.

“My whole life I was like, ‘I’ll just keep the ball. I’ll do a few moves, but I’ll just run by you,’ because I was faster than everybody else,” Martel said. “Then I got here and people were fast too, so [Atherley and assistant coach Jackie Gebhart] had to teach me skills.”

Atherley did not identify a particular moment from Martel’s career he was most proud of, instead reflecting on her growth as a player, person and student. Martel will graduate with a degree in kinesiology and physical education.

“I think what I’m most proud of is seeing all of the potential that we knew about academically and athletically when she came in, and knowing that when she leaves she will have fulfilled and exceeded that potential,” Atherley said.

Atherley feels Martel’s leadership will be missed as much as her ability to put the ball in the goal.

“She just really was kind of the heart and soul of the team,” Atherley said. “She’ll do anything for anyone, which makes her the consummate team player.”

Martel’s “all-out” approach to the game of soccer has brought more than her share of bumps, bruises and worse, but that is what got her to the level she has reached. Atherley would like to see Martel continue playing after college but is unsure how much longer her body will allow her level of physicality.

“One of the reasons we decided not to redshirt her last year is I really questioned whether or not her body would make it another year,” Atherley said. “I think that’s the only thing perhaps that’s standing in her way potentially to further her career, is whether or not she can stay healthy.”

Martel is looking at her future in soccer the same way she began her inspiring final season at UMaine — with uncertainty, but with the willingness to take on the challenge.

“I don’t want to be done, but you never know what tomorrow brings you,” Martel said.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009, 2:04 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.