WINTHROP — There’s a lot of excitement for the Winthrop girls soccer team, specifically because there is a Winthrop girls soccer team.

After four seasons of being in a co-op with Monmouth Academy, this fall the Ramblers will field their own team for the first time since 2019.

An influx of 11 freshman has resulted in a roster big enough to allow the three seniors, Ella Rice, Zion Armstrong and Katie Beck, to finish their careers representing Winthrop.

“We are very excited. We are a young group, but the people in the community worked hard to have this group of kids, to get a team here at Winthrop, and it’s exciting,” Winthrop coach Joe Menice said. “For the senior group, it’s nice they can play at Winthrop — they can play with Winthrop across their (jersey). They are very excited.”

Menice comes to Winthrop after being an assistant coach with the Monmouth boys soccer team, which won the Class D state championship in 2023. He is also an assistant coach on the Winthrop girls basketball team.

The players began hearing rumors in the spring that the girls soccer team may return.

“I think it was towards the end of the last school year that we found out that we were going to have a team, or we were thinking about having a team,” Rice said. “We weren’t sure how many (players) we were going to have, and we got a bunch of freshmen that are really stepping up.”

The ninth-graders are new to the high school team but not to each other.

“It’s great because we have been playing the past three years together,” freshman Bella Baehr said. “We have really bonded.”

Beck said the large underclassmen group is key to the program’s future success.

“It feels good to know there’s a future for Winthrop soccer, and that we had a coach that stepped up to take over a team or start a team,” Beck stated. “I am glad they are able to do it.”

Despite only having 17-18 players on the roster, the Ramblers will play 11-on-11 soccer and not 8-person soccer, which was introduced last season by the Maine Principles’ Association.

Menice said there aren’t any issues with a shorter bench.

“It’s enough,” Menice said. “The group is working hard, and they are excited to play a lot of minutes.”

With Monmouth, the seniors played for a consistently successful program, and they are looking forward to instilling what they learned in the past three seasons.

“I was really excited to be able to teach some of the freshmen some of the stuff I learned over the years,” Armstrong said. “I am definitely excited to see them get better, all together. We already have been over the summer, too. Coming from a successful team, it’s definitely different, but it’s also a good experience to lead people, too.”

Monmouth/Winthrop went 27-14-2 the past three seasons.

Baehr said the seniors’ experience has been helpful so far.

“They are very good leaders,” Baehr said.

The players, and Menice, said one constant has been the buy-in from everyone since the start of summer soccer.

“We have been working super hard and showing we all want to be here,” Rice said. “It’s not like people aren’t wanting to play and going through it and stuff.”

The seniors will also play the turf field on Charlie’s Field at Maxwell Complex. It opened last September, but they weren’t able to play on it.

“No, we did not,” Beck said. “It was just getting built, and we were really just playing at Monmouth. It feels good to play on our own field and just finishing up here.”

The Ramblers’ first game at Charlie’s Field is Sept. 11 against Hall-Dale.

Armstrong is a little disappointed that she won’t be with her Monmouth teammates this season but looks forward to the rivalry match this season on Sept. 20 at Monmouth.

“It’s a little bit sad, but we do get to play them,” Armstrong said. “I am excited to do that because it will be fun and entertaining at the same time — because I have a lot of bonds with the girls over there. It will be fun and different.”