BY GARY HAWKINS

Staff Writer

The state championship banners in the gym didn't mean much to the Richmond girls soccer team last season.

Not only was there little talk of adding another, there was concern of another sort -- not enough players.

"In the beginning, we didn't even know if we were going to have a team," senior stopper Leia Nash said.

The Bobcats graduated the bulk of a team that won its sixth Class D state title the previous year and coach Troy Kendrick did some serious recruiting to field a full team with a couple of substitutes.

The young, inexperienced Bobcats lost Nash to a torn ACL in the third game of the season and struggled to a 5-5-3 record and a first-round playoff loss. Out of that disappointment emerged this year's 13-0-0 squad, one that hosts Greenville on Wednesday for the Western Maine regional championship.

"We paid our dues," Kendrick said. "It was kind of feast to famine."

The number of players rebounded quickly. This year Kendrick has nearly 30 and has used them liberally to develop his bench.

"They were ready to put last year behind them," he said.

The team is still young with just four seniors in the starting lineup, but it developed continuity during the offseason.

"During the summer we figured we'd be back in the swing of things," Nash said. "But I don't think we ever thought we'd be undefeated."

Team chemistry and the influx of some talented freshmen helped, Nash said, but so did the experience gained from playing together last season.

"Our passing game is a lot better," sophomore and leading scorer Danica Hurley said. "That's all we do in practice."

Kendrick, who has been head coach the past 21 season, has long emphasized the passing game, sometimes a rarity among Class D girls teams. Not only does he work with the team during the summer, he also coaches a middle school group during the indoor season.

"That's how we're used to playing," Nash said. "We hate playing teams that just kick and chase the ball."

The Bobcats take no one for granted during the season, but in truth they haven't been challenged often. They beat Greenville 2-1 in the season opener before beating the Lakers 4-0 in the rematch in Richmond two weeks ago. They've outscored opponents 61-4 this season and 10 of their 13 wins have been shutouts.

Midway through the season many of the players began thinking of adding another championship banner.

"When we had beaten every team once, we were like 'wow, we can do this,' " Hurley said.

Hurley, who had three cousins play on the 2007 state title team, is well aware of the expectations and excitement surrounding soccer in Richmond.

"Everybody always wants to be part of those teams that win," she said.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com