New coach for Wolverine boys looks to make 8-man soccer a success
The Wiscasset boys' soccer team has a new coach this season. The Wolverines open their 2026 season hosting Valley on Thursday, Sept. 3. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Wiscasset boys' soccer players attending the pre-season's opening practice Aug. 17 were, from left, Lucas Tarrance, Levi Stinson, Edward Averill, Christopher Lincoln, Gavin James, Dylan Rines, Paul Lambert and Brennan Smith. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
The Wiscasset boys' soccer team has a new coach this season. The Wolverines open their 2026 season hosting Valley on Thursday, Sept. 3. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Wiscasset boys' soccer players attending the pre-season's opening practice Aug. 17 were, from left, Lucas Tarrance, Levi Stinson, Edward Averill, Christopher Lincoln, Gavin James, Dylan Rines, Paul Lambert and Brennan Smith. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay RegisterFor the Wiscasset boys' 8-man soccer team, it's a new season with a new coach. Shanon Cotta is the new coach, with over 20 years experience in the game.
Aug. 17 was the first day of practice. Cotta said the pre-season workouts would be a combination of conditioning and skill development. Cotta had eight players participate in the opening practice, but he expected more as the first week progressed.
For Cotta, it will be a season-long lesson regarding player development. "The focus is on encouraging these young men to build confidence and work towards being a cohesive unit," he said.
Wiscasset is playing in the 8-man Southern Conference competing for a playoff berth against rivals Valley (Bingham), Dirigo (Dixfield), Carrabec/Madison, Telstar (Bethel), Searsport, Temple Academy (Waterville) and Rangeley Lakes Regional.
Cotta describes 8-man soccer as a faster style of play. "Eight-man is a great opportunity to give young players an opportunity to play. There is more space which creates a faster, more wide-open style of play," he said.
Senior Paul Lambert is looking forward to the new season. He is a midfielder who understands effective communication is an important team factor. As a midfielder, he is constantly communicating with his offensive and defensive teammates. "I'm looking forward to when we have everybody here. Tonight wasn't too bad, but it will be better when everybody shows up," he said.
This year's team has a couple new additions. Freshman Gavin James plays on the front line. He is looking forward to his first varsity experience. "I'm looking forward to playing with them (upperclassmen)," James said.
Brennan Smith is a senior who hasn't played organized soccer since the third grade. "I'm excited. I'm going to play with my friends and looking forward to getting to work," he said. "We got some work to do, but I think we could have a pretty good team."
Wiscasset has a few pre-season games in the next couple weeks. The first is Saturday, Aug. 22 in Richmond.
The Wolverines open their regular season on Thursday, Sept. 3 hosting Valley.
