The University of Southern Maine women’s lacrosse team is riding high these days, sporting a 6-2 record. They strive to be a major player in the Little East Conference.

They are chasing an NCAA dream, and part of the Huskies’ hopes lie with the Mid-coast region duo of Samantha Purcell and Jacki Kelly.

Sam Purcell of Durham is a senior who didn’t even play lacrosse growing up.

Oh, Sam was active with soccer, basketball and softball all four years at Lisbon High School.

In her first year at the University of New England, Sam joined the lacrosse team as a backup goaltender.

“I was a practice player, basically. I always liked lacrosse and wanted to try it, but I just never had the time.”

It helped that the 22-year-old loved to run, and every now and then she’d pick up a stick.

“I didn’t get a lot of playing time … just a practice player who liked to be on the team. I loved the team, loved the girls and I got the ‘Unsung Hero Award.’ Just for keeping the girls together.”

However, she was considering transferring due to financial constraints and head coach Sue Frost encouraged her to join the USM program, led by Lauren Reid.

She feels she has made great strides.

“Oh, my gosh! I literally just picked up a stick my sophomore year and had no left hand. Barely had a right hand. I could run and get it done a little bit. But, I really fell in love with the sport, so I just wanted to get better.”

She started out in the midfield, but eventually switched over to attack “because I could run!”

“I just started to develop my skills. In the summer I would do ‘wall ball’ and lift every day, run every day … so intrigued by the sport, and I just wanted to get better. And, like with seeing Jacki, you just want to be like her.”

Her roles on the field are varied. Many times she’ll set up behind the cage and direct traffic.

After scoring 11 goals with four assists and 17 groundballs in 2012, Samantha already has nine goals, 12 assists and six groundballs.

“I’m looked at like a power attacker. I’m usually at the ‘X spot’ as we like to call it. I feel a lot of the girls look to me to get things going, make things happen. Basically, to be a leader out there and get it done.”

Four wins to open the season followed two losses in Florida.

“It was great competition, no doubt about it. But, I just feel like we were a lot better than those teams. The reffing down there and the way that they let them play is a lot different than up here. That’s not an excuse because we should’ve adjusted. It’s a learning tool at this point.”

Going into the season, Sam had high hopes of the Huskies improving on last year’s record of 7-11, 3-3 in LEC. The NCAA Tournament is the carrot on a string.

“Absolutely and it’s totally within our reach. This team is amazing and we have some great potential, some great girls. I don’t see why we can’t go all the way.”

However, learning that teammate Shelby Turcotte, a senior midfielder from Lewiston, was sidelined with lymphoma has deeply affected Sam and her teammates.

“With everything that’s happened this year and with Shelby getting cancer … she’s a good friend of mind so I just developed a goal of mine that I wanted the team to develop. Just play because you can … you have this opportunity. It’s a thing that we all can connect to.

“On our team you can tell with the players … when they say ‘play for number 3.’ Everyone’s connected to it and everyone wants to play for Shelby.”

Having Reid as a coach has been a big plus, said the athletic training major who is thinking of entering the military service and going to grad school.

“I don’t think I would have become a lacrosse player if it wasn’t for her. She pushed me and taught me the skills that I would’ve never learned without her. She’s given me that extra drive … she’s made me better and a more serious lacrosse player. When I first picked up a stick it was all fun and games. Now, I’d like to think I’m one of the top players.”

“Sam is one of my favorite stories since being at USM these last five seasons,” offered Reid. “It says so much about the type of athlete and competitor Sam is that she has worked her way from no experience in high school to a starting attacker and senior captain here. I don’t think I’ve ever had another player in my program come through and not ever have played before they got to college.

“If I could give a ‘Grow Your Game Award’ out to anyone who spends three, four seasons with me, Sam would take the cake easily. When she came in she was a little timid with her stick skills, didn’t know all the rules to the game, was not sure what her role on the team would be.

“She got on the wall, got a new stick and all of a sudden you saw this instant change — she wasn’t just an athlete playing lacrosse anymore

— she had really become a great lacrosse player. I couldn’t ask for a better captain, on or off the field. I trust Sam out there completely — when she gets determined there’s nothing that can stand in her way.”

What kind of things on the field does Sam have to do?

“She has discipline out there and poise that allows our players to stick to a gameplan and remember our goals in that game,” said Reid. “Sam is powerful and can drive hard to the cage to create for herself or others and she’s a very unselfish player.

“Those are the best kind. Sam has a major role, too, as the teammate who’s going to pick you up on her shoulder and run around the field with you to celebrate a great connection on a goal or pump you up. She is the one making everyone smile and laugh and a huge key to making this season fun for everyone.”

On-field energy

Jacki Kelly is a USM junior who was a Brunswick High School standout.

She leads the team in scoring and is widely known for her onfield energy.

Her career totals are impressive. Consider: Last year, 41 goals, 20 assists, 64 groundballs, 57 draw controls and 40 caused turnovers. Two years ago, 22 goals, six assists, 71 groundballs, 44 draw controls and 37 caused turnovers. Eight games into this season she already has 26 goals, seven assists, 40 groundballs, 17 draw controls and 25 caused turnovers.

“Originally, I didn’t even think I wanted to play lacrosse to be honest with you. I wanted to go to a D-1 school and be a big part of the sports atmosphere. But, then it dawned on me in the last minute that I still had the competitiveness in me. And, USM was in-state and affordable.”

USM has been a good fit for the sociology major who plans to graduate on time next spring.

“It’s been awesome. Lacrosse, especially, this has been one of the best teams that I’ve ever been part of. The girls are great. I’ve got not only great teammates, but I’ve probably made friends for life. School-wise and academically, it’s been well, too.”

Jacki sees a huge difference from high school and collegiate lacrosse, even though she was part of State Class A championship teams in 2008 and 2009 under Beth Caputi.

“It’s more serious, more competitive. The speed of the game is much different even though I played with really talented girls on my high school teams. With college, the speed is just so much more faster and the girls are more aggressive.

“But, I’ve definitely improved, that’s for sure. And, I’ve learned a lot especially with playing Colby, Bowdoin and Bates. They’re always fun competition for me. My speed has improved and my strength has improved. In high school you don’t go to the weight room and you play for fun. Here, it’s little more different and you take it more seriously.”

Jacki also had lofty expectations coming into the current season.

“My goal is to never settle and always strive to be better than last year. Our team goal, obviously, is to win LECs, to improve as a team and go into the NCAAs.”

The two defeats came with a bonus, offered Jacki. “We definitely learned from our mistakes. We decided that we’re going to leave the losses down there. Learn from the past, come back to Maine and keep going strong.”

Of Reid, Kelly was effusive in her praise.

“She has been an awesome coach … she’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. Not only does she understand the game, she is also always there for you. She’s a role model whom I look up to. She not only coaches to make people better as a player, but she also coaches to make people better as a person.”

No. 3 on the roster has had a profound affect on the 21-year-old.

“This has affected me tremendously. Shelby Turcotte’s not only a teammate, but one of my best friends. This really hit me hard and you never expect this with someone who’s 21 and healthy. So, now that you’ve seen it and developed a different perspective, you start to play differently. You realize that at any moment it could be taken away from you. Now, you play like it’s your last game because it could be.

“You think you have four years (at USM) and even that goes by fast. We now have a common thread and when you hear ‘Play for 3’ you get that extra push, that extra drive. She has been so strong, she’s there at every practice cheering us on.”

One more time from Reid: “Jacki brings a fierce competitiveness to our program that is very rare and hard to come by. Athletes like Jacki are made of that special ingredient that gives your program an extra competitive edge.

“Every winning team has one of those leaders on it with determination and commitment to compete and win, and Jacki has become that major spark for our team. She gets the job done on and off of the field and makes everyone around her better while expecting them to do the same for her.

“She is a total package player, and after telling her that I want her role to change to more of an attack mode, she bought into it and started to see herself as a finisher in the back of the net as much as causing turnovers and shutting down top players defensively.

“She’s fiery and has been able to tone down her mental game on the field and keep things simpler. She’s the player that sets a goal for herself in every category and you better watch out because she will go and get it no matter what it takes.”

How about Jacki’s leadership qualities?

“Jacki has become a great teammate who is molding the ones below her more and more and getting her fellow classmates fired up and ready to compete beside her every game,” lauded Reid. “She makes me laugh because she is so laid back and has so much fun with her teammates, but that switch goes on and it’s business time on the field, too. I think it’s really important to Jacki to make sure everything we work hard for is still fun. We have made our team focuses on trust and fun together this year.”

Final thoughts from coach Reid?

“Together Sam and Jacki have a great friendship that is very clear to see on and off the field as well. They didn’t know each other well before they came here, but there is a solid bond between them and it’s great to watch as a coach. Both Sam and Jacki have had major roles in building our lacrosse culture at USM.

“I am trying to soak up every moment we get with them because I know players like Jacki and Sam are hard to come by and the combination of their two types of leadership is really giving us a winning formula this season.”

GEORGE ALMASI is the Times Record sports editor. He can be reached at galmasi@timesrecord.com