Orono, ME – Head soccer coach Scott Atherley announces the incoming class of 2023, which features five first year players and two transfers.
 
Abbey Thornton remains in state as she joins the Black Bears after her time at Windham High School in Windham, ME. As a midfielder and captain of her high school team in 2021, Thornton helped lead her squad to the Maine Class "A" Girls State Championship Title. She was the 2021 Class "A" Offensive Player of the Year and an All-State Member and All-Region Team Member in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, she set the Windham High School record for most goals in a single season with 34. As a member of her club team, the Seacoast GA, she helped lead her team to the playoffs in her most recent season in 2022.
 
Grace Johnson joins the Black Bears after standout careers at South Burlington High School in South Burlington, VT and the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT.  Johnson helped lead South Burlington to the 2020 Vermont High School D1 Championship, during which she was named team MVP and to the Vermont High School Soccer Coaches All-State Team.  Johnson earned All-State Honors three times during her high school career.  She also was a track star at South Burlington High School, earning a state championship in the 4x200m race and being named the 2018 Track Rookie of the Year.  At Loomis Chaffee, she helped lead her squad to the NEPSAC Semifinals and she was named to the league All-Star team in 2021 .
 
Michaela Saulter, like Thornton, has also elected to stay in state and join the Black Bears in 2023. She was a four-year starter on one of the most dominant teams in Maine, Hermon High School in Hermon, ME. Her squad went 64-3 across her four seasons in the midfield at Hermon. She is a three-time Northern Maine Champion and a two-time Maine State Premier League Champion with her club team, River City. Saulter is a two-time Class B State Team member and a two-time Northern Maine All-Star Team member.
 
Victoria Dungey joins the 2023 Black Bears after having attended Ernest Manning High School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During her time at Ernest Manning, Dungey was named league MVP following her senior season.  She participated in the Canada Summer Games in 2022 and was a member of the Alberta REX program. Dungey also had the opportunity to compete in the National Development Center Competition for Team Canada in 2022.
 
Luise Reinwald makes the over 3,000 mile journey from Ottobrunn, Germany.  She joins the Black Bears from FC Bayern Munich, one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world. As a 17-year old she made the jump from Bayern's U17 team to the senior Women's Bundesliga II squad.  Reinwald has appeared in over 17 games for the senior German club while making 12 starts.  Most recently she helped lead FC Bayern Múnich II to a fourth place league finish in 2023.
 
Doireann Fahey joins the Black Bears as a graduate transfer from the University of Hartford. In her most recent season with the Hawks, she ranked second on the team in total minutes played as a defender, racking up 1,238 minutes played across 14 games. Her squad went 10-3-1 in 2022 and she tallied a pair of goals on the season. Before attending Hartford, Fahey had earned herself 17 caps at the International underage level, including three caps for Ireland's U-19 team in 2018-19, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Championship Elite Round in Spain.
 
Rebecca Grisdale rounds out the incoming class as she transfers to the University of Maine from the University of Memphis. Prior to her lone season at Memphis, she played club soccer for Calgary Foothills Soccer Club where she captained her team to a National Championship in 2019. In 2022, she was named to the United Women's Soccer League All-Conference second team after helping lead her UWS team to the Western Conference Championship.  Grisdale trained at the Canadian National Development Center in Vancouver most recently in February of 2022. She is currently a member of the U20 World Cup pool for Canada.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome these talented young women into our program," Atherley states. "They bring unique qualities that will compliment our core of returning players.  I anticipate each one will be impactful on the field, in the classroom and community.  We look forward to starting August 1".       
 
The 2023 roster will feature nine new players with the addition of spring '23 transfers Kristina Kelly and Lara Kirkby.  The Black Bears kickoff the 2023 season at home on August 17, against Le Moyne College.  Kick off is at 4:00 pm.   
 
-UMaine-