FARMINGTON — The Messalonskee field hockey team’s abundance of raids on the Mt. Blue cage often ended in frustration thanks to Cougars goalie Brooke Bolduc and her team of defenders Tuesday afternoon at Caldwell Field.
Despite the Eagles’ onslaught and swift passing, the Cougars (6-1-1) wouldn’t let go of their one-goal lead and emerged in the driving rain with a hard-fought 2-1.
“Holy gosh, that was unbelievable,” Mt. Blue coach Jody Harmon said. “Six defensive saves. Bailey Levesque had the defensive game of her life. Brooke (12 saves) just unbelievable is all I can say. We played with heart (Tuesday) and gave it everything we had.
“They (Messalonskee) are incredible. They are an incredible team. Their stick work, their skill. Their speed is just awesome. (Mt. Blue’s) Maddy Bard on (Messalonskee’s) Autumn Littlefield was just awesome. Everyone got the job done and did their part.”
Bolduc’s vigil in net was inspiring, especially in the scoreless second half when Messalonskee’s offense did everything well except put the ball in the back of the cage.
After the Eagles (5-3) spent a portion of the first half in front of the Cougars’ net, Mt. Blue’s offense started clicking at the other end of the field.
It paid off at the 18:49 mark when senior Ellie Pelletier slapped in a rebound for the first goal of the game.
The Cougars’ offense seemed to ignore the rain and cold to produce another goal at 12:13. Bard, a junior, tucked in her unassisted goal off a rebound to give Mt. Blue a 2-0 lead.
But the relentless Eagles finally landed a goal with 7:32 left in the first half. Junior forward Annie Corbett punched in Messalonskee’s only goal off an assist by senior forward Kaitlyn Smith.
“Our strength is definitely our passing and our transition game up and down the field and speed,” Messalonskee coach Katie McLaughlin said. “Today, we just could not finish in the circle.”
The second half saw two relentless teams desperately trying to score a goal. The Cougars wanted to avoid a tie — or worse — a loss. Messalonskee made every effort to tie the game and then slip a go-ahead goal.
None of that happened, in part because Bolduc was diving to the ground, jumping in the air or coming of the net to stave off those pesky Eagles.
“Their goalie was incredible,” McLaughlin said. “She really showed up today and that was unreal.
“You know we had a couple of tough breaks and we just could not finish.”
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