AUGUSTA — It didn’t take long for Hope Thompson to take to soccer.

The Mt. Blue senior began playing when she was only four years old. She came by it naturally — through heredity, and by just keeping up with her family.

“I have five older siblings and they all played soccer,” Thompson said. “So it was kind of a thing for us. My older siblings all travelled internationally. So I ended up playing soccer too.”

She’s been a natural at it ever since. In her third year as a starter for Mt. Blue, Thompson has logged many minutes on the soccer field in summer and in spring.

“There’s probably not many kids that have played as much soccer,” Mt. Blue coach Fred Conlogue said. “That definitely a huge advantage for her.”

Thompson was an Eastern A all-star last fall, despite being nagged by injuries.

“I had a week off and then a week on and then a week off,” Thompson said. “Then I played the rest of the season. Those were the weeks I was being driven crazy because I wanted to play so bad.”

Thompson hopes that won’t be an issue this year. She appears back in form and is ready to lead a Cougars team that wants to make some noise in Eastern A. Mt. Blue went 6-7-3 last year. The Cougars defeated Lawrence in a preliminary, but lost in the quarterfinals to Bangor.

“She can really take over a game,” Conlogue said. “She had some big goals and big assists for us. She struggled with some injuries, but she’s worked really hard in the off season to get back to where she can play a whole season.”

Mt. Blue lost some talent from last year’s club, but has a promising group returning that could produce some good things this fall. Thompson will be a key part of that in the midfield.

“She obviously makes everyone on the team better, by her passes, by her first touches and by her runs,” Conlogue said. “Her runs are very aggressive. She just knows where to go to get the ball. It’s nice because it’s like having another coach on the field.”

Thompson admits it is a little different knowing that she’s relied on for so much in the midfield.  She had experienced players like Miranda Nicely there in the past to help her. There’s more responsibility, but she also feels comfortable with the group around her.

“You obviously work better with them than newer players coming in,” Thompson said. “A lot of the juniors and sophomores, we work really well together.”

The Cougars have a strong group of juniors that play three sports. Eryn Doiron could be one of the league’s top forwards up front for Mt. Blue. Lauren Guppy, Caitlin Kane and Nicole Pires all return to the midfield, while Sierra Hoes returns to the back. Sophomores Haley Caswell and Addie Schanz are also returning.

“We have quite a few returnees,” said Conlogue, who also returns seniors Moesha Harrington, Sarah Cummings, Mariah Martin and Aleena Warren. “Most of them are juniors. Her leadership and her experience is going to help them. They are a very athletic group. My hope is that leadership that she has will carry over to them so that next year they’ll step up and be just like that.”

As much as her leadership can pay dividends down the road, her play should help the Cougars this fall. Much of what Mt. Blue does will flow through her. She’s not only a commanding presence in the lineup but also a calming influence.

“She’s going to have to step up,” Conlogue said. “She’s going to have to provide some offense for us. We lost Miranda from last year. She’ll have to help fill that. We’re still trying to find that formation that works with what we have, but she’s really the centerpiece of that because she can do so much.”

Thompson said a big part of her game will be the ability to work with the players around her, and that’s been a strength so far this season. Many of the Cougars are accustomed to playing together and making things happen.

“We still have some things to work on,” she said. “But we have really good communication and we’re working well together.”

Thompson is aiming to play at the next level. She’s looking at various schools and exploring options of playing soccer in college.

“It’s nice to have a player of that caliber,” Conlogue said. “She’s going to keep you in every game, even if the other team is stronger than you. She gives you that chance to score that goal or stopping the other team’s strong players.”

kmills@sunjournal.com