THORNDIKE — When she played middle school field hockey, Devan Burgess was a goalie. As a freshman on the Mount View High School team a few years ago, Burgess played back.
“I was a terrible back,” Burgess acknowledged.
Last season, Mount View coach Gloria Hewett decided to move Burgess up to forward. It’s a move that’s made Burgess and the Mustangs better. A senior, Burgess scored both goals in a 2-0 Class C North quarterfinal win over Maranacook on Tuesday afternoon.
No. 3 Mount View, now 10-5, will face No. 2 Dexter in the regional semifinals Saturday. No. 6 Maranacook ends the season at 5-10.
Burgess scored both the game’s goals in the first half. The first came with 26:54 left in the half off a pass from Maddy Knowlton. The second goal was unassisted, coming with 4:46 left in the half.
“I love playing forward. I can’t imagine going back and playing defense again,” Burgess said.
Added Hewett: “She has learned so much. We turned her into a forward, and she’s amazing. She’s fast, and she’s pretty patient. She’s gotten really good at tipping it.”
At halftime, the Mustangs were loose and laughing. As was the case in the first half, Mount View played outstanding defense in the second. The Black Bears were never able to put together any sustained offensive pressure to generate scoring chances. Maranacook had just three penalty corners in the game.
“They did a really good job at sending the ball right across the circle. We haven’t really run into that a whole lot,” Maranacook coach Ashley Work said. “They got great drives across and we’re not used to it reaching the other side of the cage that fast.”
It was Mount View’s seventh consecutive win and sixth consecutive shutout. The Mustangs haven’t allowed a goal since a 3-1 win over Erskine on Sept. 20.
“I have a strong defense. Lindsey (Mattingly), she’s got a great stick, and Alyvia (Ripley), she doesn’t let anything by,” Hewett said. “They were tenacious. I don’t think they gave up at all.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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