Every field hockey team not playing Saturday wishes they had to deal with it, but it’s still a quick turnaround. As six teams vie for state titles on Saturday at Thomas College, they’ll each be playing their third game in five days.
“I think I pulled into my driveway about 10 o’clock (Thursday night),” Gardiner coach Sharon Gallant said Friday. “At 3’o’clock this morning, I was wide awake, thinking, ‘What do we have to do to beat York?'”
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The day starts with the Class A championship between Skowhegan and Scarborough at 11 a.m., followed by the Class B game between Gardiner and York at 1 p.m. The final game of the day matches Winslow and Lisbon in the Class C title game.
Amazingly, Skowhegan (15-2) and Scarborough (17-0) are meeting for the Gold Ball for the fifth time in seven years. Skowhegan has won three of the previous four meetings, including a 3-0 win in 2012 and a 4-1 victory last fall.
The Indians are seeking their fifth consecutive state title, and 13th in the last 14 years. Skowhegan lost twice to Messalonskee during the regular season, allowing a total of nine goals in those two games. But in the playoffs, Skowhegan has reeled off three straight shutouts.
“I think when we started this year, that was probably our biggest weakness. We had a whole new defense,” Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty said. “The last two or three weeks, we’ve just been focusing on defensive moves. (Assistant) Tammie Veinotte is a fabulous coach. She never gets the credit she deserves. I just give her free reign to do the things she needs to do.”
The Class A game features two of the four finalists for the Miss Maine Field Hockey Award in Skowhegan’s Rylie Blanchet and Scarborough’s Maddy Dobecki.
In Class B, Gardiner (15-1-1) survived a balanced Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference schedule in the regular season and a pesky Belfast team in the regional final. The Tigers defeated Belfast, 1-0, on Nickyia Lovely’s goal with 2:22 to play in the first overtime.
York (17-0) is coming off a 4-0 victory over Spruce Mountain in the Western B final. Gardiner beat Spruce 5-1 at Thomas in the regular-season finale. This is York’s ninth appearance in the state final since 2004. The Wildcats are 1-7 in their previous eight state games during that time. York has possibly the state’s best player in sophomore center midfielder Lily Posternak, who is on the USA Field Hockey under-17 national team.
Gardiner has scored only three goals in the postseason, but that’s been enough, as the Tigers have recorded three shutouts in a row. Center midfielder Abby Dyer and back Emily Michaud lead the defense.
Winslow (16-0-1) is in its first state final since 2003, when the Black Raiders were in Class B. Winslow’s regular-season ledger this fall includes wins over Gardiner and Belfast — the two teams in the Eastern B final — as well as Western B runner-up Spruce Mountain.
After losing in last year’s Eastern C final, the Raiders were motivated to win that title this season. Coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said her team is ready to take on another goal.
“I told them right after the (Eastern C) game ended, ‘You’re going to enjoy this moment, you’re going to enjoy the bus ride home, but you’ve got a job to do,'” Bourgoin said. “They were like, ‘Yup.’ There was no hesitation with them.”
Ciera Poulin and Natalie Greene scored the goals as Winslow blanked Dexter 2-0 in the regional final. Poulin, Alyssa Wood and goalie Delaney Wood lead a superb Winslow defense.
Lisbon (15-2) was the No. 3 seed in Western C — the Greyhounds are the only team that’s not a No. 1 seed playing in a state game — but defeated No. 1 Oak Hill in overtime in the regional final after losing 4-0 and 2-0 to Oak Hill in the regular season.
“We started off with a brand-new front line this year,” said Lisbon coach Julie Petrie, whose team won the state title in 2012. “We lost 11 seniors. Our plan was to play their best field hockey at the end, obviously, and I think they’re doing well with that.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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