THORNDIKE — Mount View ended the regular season with a shutout win over Maine Central Institute. The longer Saturday morning’s game lasted, the more it appeared Mount View’s postseason would end the same way.
“It’s a lot of frustration, definitely,” Mount View sophomore forward Reanna Boulay said. “I wasn’t focused as much on the field, but I knew that this game, I really needed to bring it.”
Boulay broke Mount View’s drought against MCI with just 3:32 remaining in regulation, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 victory in an Eastern C field hockey quarterfinal.
“That was a great field hockey game,” MCI coach Nancy Hughes said. “We talked about it at halftime, that one goal was going to win that game. And unfortunately, it wasn’t a goal that we put in.”
Mount View, the fourth seed, improves to 9-4-2 and plays at No. 1 Winslow (14-0-1) at 3 p.m., Tuesday. MCI ends its season at 9-6.
Boulay’s goal came on a penalty corner drawn by teammate Austyn Thomas. On the play, Thomas sped by her defender on the right side and circled toward the goal. Another MCI defender came over, but could only hit the ball over the end line in the circle for a corner.
“That was beautiful,” Mount View coach Gloria Hewett said. “She carries it in, and she hardly ever gets stopped. We get corners from that often, because she’s just so fast.”
The corner play was a pass from Risa Fox to Boulay on the left side. Boulay hammered it home for a 1-0 lead. In the final two minutes, the Huskies threatened, but could not get inside their offensive circle.
Mount View had seven shots in the first half, but was denied mainly by the quick feet of MCI goalie Mikayla Carr. In the second half, the Mustangs had six corners, before scoring on their seventh.
“The same thing happened the last game,” Hewett said. “There were crossing passes that we didn’t put in. There were 12 corners to their three in the last game. We didn’t capitalize.”
Mount View defender Jordan King helped break up a couple MCI rushes by crossing over on defense, but the Huskies still came within inches of taking the lead in the second half. With about 19 minutes left, April McAlpine was outside the circle and spotted Kali Doiron near the left post. Doiron’s deflection hit inside the right leg pad of Mount View goalie Dinah Bilodeau and caromed wide right.
Despite the loss, MCI may have turned a corner in Eastern C. The Huskies were 8-21 over the last two seasons before winning nine games this fall.
“They did it because they earned it,” Hughes said. “They worked so hard. We have a lot of kids, they play in the league in the winter, and they go to the clinics in the spring. I had four or five girls who were in the weight room every day this summer, just working to get better physically.
“Obviously, our seniors set the tone for that. We have some very good younger kids, and they meshed really well. I know they’re disappointed right now, but I hope that they just continue to work that way, because they’re ready to take that next step. It very well could have been us today.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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