AUGUSTA – The Cony and Messalonskee girls lacrosse teams are each moving on to the Class B playoffs.
But the Rams and Eagles are each riding their own different wave entering the postseason.
Cony (12-2) is riding a seven-game winning streak, including an 8-6 victory over Messalonskee (8-6) at Fuller Field on Wednesday night. Dinah Wadleigh tallied six goals for the Rams, including the final two that sealed the win in the final four minutes.
“I think I was just reading the goalie, seeing what her weakness was and just taking advantage of it,” Wadleigh said after the game. “And working as a team as well.”
With the win, Cony secured a home game to start the playoffs. The Rams are the No. 3 seed in Class B standings, behind No. 1 Brunswick (12-2) and No. 2 Greely (12-2).
“We had seven games in 14 days (before Messalonskee),” Wadleigh said. “We’ve had six practices in a row here, just (doing) team bonding, working together and seeing how we can do better on transitions and all over the field.”
For head coach Gretchen Livingston, the Rams are hitting their stride at the right time.
“For me, (the strength) has been the unity, the camaraderie, the way they communicate with each other on the field and off the field, and the culture that we have created and the respect they all have for each other,” Livingston said. “They’re all in the roles that we play, and it’s never, ‘you, you, you.’ It’s ‘we.’ That fuels the play you see out there. We are a collective unit at all times. We lift each other up.”
The Eagles, though 3-4 in their last seven games, have shown talent and fight all throughout the season. Three of Messalonskee’s four recent losses came against the top three seeds in Class B.
“A big thing for me right now, as a coach, is we’ve got to finish from the start,” Messalonskee head coach Crystal Leavitt said. “We’re coming out a little flat and we’re finding those moments (during games), but we’re not finishing. In those big moments, we’re not continuing, we’re not finishing.”
Messalonskee showed that fight against Cony. Down 6-2, the Eagles scored four unanswered goals – three from Abigail Klinge – that tied the game 6-6 before the Rams eventually won.
“I think, going into the playoffs with this kind of feeling, and this kind of hunger, I think it’s great for our team,” Leavitt said.
Both the Rams and Eagles – who have enjoyed a strong rivalry as two of the top central Maine programs over the years – appreciated playing each other before the start of the playoffs.
“Every year, you know (playing Messalonskee) is going to be a tough one,” Livingston said. “Credit to Crystal and that program, and I think the feeling is mutual. It’s a lot of fun, a little bit cutthroat at times. We definitely respect them.”
“What’s really great is, the girls know and respect each other,” Leavitt said. “It does get aggressive, but it’s a game, right? The girls do get aggressive, and I don’t think there’s any hard feelings or anything like that. I love that they’re our rivals, but we’re hugging each other after the game. It says a lot about the game and these (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference) programs that are getting better so we can finally take down the south.”
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