JAY— Spruce Mountain junior forward Auriana Armandi may have found new digs after she scored four straight goals in a Class C field hockey game Friday.

Armandi spent the second half playing on the left side of the field and in front of the Oak Hill net, where she set up shop and scored four times, helping the Phoenix to a 7-3 victory over the Raiders.

“I don’t think I have done it before,” Armandi said. “It felt pretty good, I guess. (Oak Hill) has always been a strong team, always been good competition for us. It felt good.

“I actually don’t normally play that side (of the field). It is usually Emily Castonguay, so it was definitely a different place on the field. I wasn’t expecting to do that (score four goals), but our mids really help a lot, getting the ball up the field.”

The Phoenix (5-4) were holding on to a 2-1 lead as the Raiders kept pressing in the second half. But Megan Brown punched in an unassisted goal at 19:11 to give Spruce some breathing room with a 3-1 lead.

Oak Hill (4-5) responded in kind when Cassie Steckino scored on at 11:18 on a Julie Mooney pass to move back within one goal again.

Armandi took it from there, piling up four straight goals. Her first came at 9:16, with assistance from Paris Howes. Just 15 seconds later, Armandi struck again, using a Mariyah Fournier feed.

Armandi scored an unassisted goal at 8:36 and topped off the streak with her fourth goal with 1:50 left in the game. The final goal was set up by Ella Plourde. 

“We switched it around a little bit and it may be (Armandi’s) new home,” Spruce Mountain coach Katie Trask said. “I like her over there. She did a really great job today.”

The Raiders put another point on the board with 1:15 remaining in the game. Mooney scored on a Desirae Dumais assist.

In the first half, the Phoenix scored a pair of quick goals, and it appears there is a pattern developing on offense. Against Lisbon, Spruce did the same thing in the first half.

“When they get out there and get scoring, it definitely motivates them,” Trask said. “It brings the momentum up and they are ready to go.

“They are that kind of team. I do like this pattern. I want to stay on this pattern and keep it moving.” 

Emily Castonguay scored her first of two back-to-back goals at 27:28, with Armandi earning the assist in the first half. At 26:44, she punched in her second goal, with the assist going to Fournier.

Oak Hill returned the favor, with Adelle Surette scoring and Angela Strout earning the assist at 24:31.

“We just failed to finish today,” Raiders coach Betsy Gilbert said. “That was our toughest thing. They were very fatigued today. That really hurt us.

“Spruce is a much different team than they were when we first saw them at the beginning of the season. They are much improved and a really good passing team, and you know, they have a lot speed up front. They were out-hustling us getting back.”

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