Bangor’s Cormier chooses Wildcats

BANGOR, Maine — Cody Cormier hoped his soccer career would have a Division I future.

He just didn’t think it would happen so soon.

The Bangor High School senior midfielder has decided to play as a recruited walk-on for the University of New Hampshire beginning next year.

“It was definitely a process, and it actually came about really quick,” said Cormier. “It was like a one-week span where I got a call, went down there, visited, spent the night, came back, and I was on the team. It kind of blew my mind, it was kind of hard to take in at first.

“But it was a great group of guys I got a chance to visit down there, I liked the campus and I’m really excited. It’s going to be fun.”

Cormier has 10 goals and three assists this fall for the undefeated (15-0) and top-ranked Rams, who are scheduled to host No. 5 Erskine Academy of South China in an Eastern Maine Class A semifinal on Saturday at 11 a.m.

“Cody’s a special player,” said Bangor coach David Patterson, a former college and professional player in his native Ireland who also coached in the collegiate ranks before taking his current post.

“He’s got such quickness that is very, very hard to defend against, and not only does he have the quickness but he’s very aware of what’s going on out the field and in a one-versus-one situation can solve things very smoothly.

“He’s got the potential to do really well when he steps up to the next level at New Hampshire,” Patterson added.

Cormier is a fourth-year varsity player for Bangor who as a freshman came off the bench to help the Rams win the program’s first Class A state championship in 2006.

He then recovered from a fracture in his back in the spring of 2008 to help Bangor win its second Eastern Maine crown in three years last fall.

During Cormier’s four years at Bangor, the Rams are 60-3-3.

“From probably my sophomore year on I was looking at colleges to play soccer,” said Cormier, whose older brother Cam is on the track and field team at the University of Rhode Island.

“I really didn’t know if it would be D-I, but I went to a camp and got some good results there and they told me I should be looking at maybe D-2 or maybe D-1, and now I’ve got the opportunity.”

New Hampshire is 9-5-2 overall and 6-0-1 in America East this season, having already won the program’s first regular-season conference title since 1994 and just its second since America East started sponsoring the sport in 1988.

One of Cormier’s future teammates at UNH will be 2006 Bangor graduate Dylan George, now a junior forward for the Wildcats. George, whose younger brother Nick is a senior forward at Bangor, is the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer this season with four goals and three assists.

Cormier also considered several other schools before opting for New Hampshire, among them Southern New Hampshire University and the University of Massachusetts.

“It’s going to be a big transition,” said Cormier, “but I think I’m ready for it.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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