WINSLOW — Yes, it’s just two games into a new season, but the post-game celebration by the Maine Central Institute field hockey team Saturday afternoon was understandable given the circumstances.

The Huskies had just knocked off defending state champion Winslow for the first time in recent memory, beating the Black Raiders 2-1 with a quick pace that suits the team’s personnel and style of play.

“It’s never occurred before or in a very long time,” said sophomore forward Addie Williams, who assisted on both goals. “So coach was really expecting us pull something off and we did. We made it work.”

MCI (2-0) plays a tough Class B schedule while competing in Class C when the post-season rolls around, and this season Class B North in one of the strongest, more balanced regions in the state.

“Since we dropped down to (Class) C we still continue to play that KVAC schedule,” MCI coach Nancy Hughes said. “It helps us every year.”

Winslow (1-1) was the beneficiary of the schedule a year ago, going unbeaten en route to the Class C state championship. This year, the Black Raiders moved up to Class B and have a few holes to fill.

“I had to fill five,” Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said. “It’s coming. We’re filling them, we’re figuring it out.”

The Huskies held the edge in play in the first half, out-shooting the Raiders 5-2. Williams missed a good scoring chance when she whistled a shot wide with 16 minutes, 20 seconds left, but four minutes later she sent a pass across the goal mouth and freshman Victoria Friend tipped it home inside the left post.

“It was a shot,” Williams said. “But thank God she was there,”

The Huskies took control of the game in the early part of the second half and when Kali Doiron tipped in a shot from Hughes to make it 2-0 just under eight minutes in, they appeared to have the game in hand. Hughes set the play up when she corralled a hard pass from a teammate and fed the ball diagonally to Doiron. Winslow goalie Delaney Wood (eight saves) really had no chance to stop the shot.

Sensing the game slipping away, the Raiders picked up their play. Bourgoin called timeout midway through the half and 15 seconds after her team returned to the field, it scored.

“I took the timeout to give them a break because I’ve been using a lot of subs but it’s also very hot and they’re still getting conditioned,” Bourgoin said.

The respite helped. Miranda Gagne crossed the ball to junior forward Cassidy Rickard for a tip-in at the left post to make it 2-1 with 14:47left to play. The goal gave the Raiders a boost and they played their best of the game for the the next eight minutes. MCI goalie Mikayla Carr (five saves) was up to the task and she got some help from her defense, too, in particular center back Taylor Hall.

“We have a very strong returning group,” Hughes said. “And we picked up some very strong kids coming in. They’re got great chemistry. It doesn’t matter that some are freshmen and some are seniors. They get along great.”

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