Ten local teams are still alive in the high school field hockey playoffs, and nine of them have winning records. The goal now is to do what they did to win those games, only against a little better competition.

“I think it’s a balance of having the kids prepared and ready to play with discipline (with) the emotion of, you win you move on, you lose you go home,” Lawrence coach Lisa Larrabee said.

There are five games today involving local teams. Lawrence is in one of them as the third-ranked Bulldogs (9-4-1) host No. 6 Edward Little (8-5-1) at 3 p.m.

These teams also met in last year’s playoffs, although the seeds were reversed and Lawrence won. They also met back on Sept. 3, with Lawrence winning, 3-1.

“We’re a team that we’ve figured out the first 10 minutes sets the tone of the game,” Larrabee said.

Today’s other Eastern A game also starts at 3 p.m., with No. 2 Messalonskee (11-2-1) hosting No. 7 Oxford Hills (5-7-2). Messalonskee was tripped up by Skowhegan in the regular-season finale and the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A championship game but rolled to a 7-0 victory over the Vikings in Oakland on Sept. 27.

In Eastern C, second-seeded Winthrop (10-2-2) will host No. 7 Boothbay (6-7-1) at 3:30 p.m. today. The seeds and records suggest Winthrop would be a favorite, but that’s not how it played out on the field during the regular season.

Winthrop won the first meeting, 2-1, at Boothbay. In the rematch last Tuesday in Winthrop, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Winthrop coach Sharon Coulton said the Ramblers could stand to convert more of their scoring opportunities, and they have been trying to focus on that this past week.

“We’ve been working on offense. We’ve been working on our penalty corners,” Coulton said. “It’s been difficult, because we have not had weather that’s very cooperative to practicing.”

Also in Eastern C, No. 6 Maine Central Institute (6-7-1) is at Central (8-6). The teams did not meet this season.

Also today, Gardiner (7-4-3) is at John Bapst (12-2) in the Eastern B playoffs. That game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be played on turf at the University of Maine. As far as John Bapst in concerned, the turf is the important part.

The Crusaders play their home games on turf and are tough to beat on that surface. At home, they’re 7-0 and have outscored their opponents, 41-2. On the road, Bapst is 5-2 with a still impressive but less eye-popping scoring edge of 23-12. Gardiner does not have experience on turf, but the Tigers are 5-1-1 on the road.

There are four more games featuring local teams on Wednesday, although the weather could move those games to Thursday. The one game with two local teams is an Eastern B matchup, as No. 5 Winslow (11-3) is at No. 4 Mt. View (11-2-1) for a 3 p.m. game. Winslow defeated the Mustangs, 4-3 in Winslow on Sept. 6, but Mt. View is 10-0-1 since.

Winslow was routed 4-0 by Gardiner in last year’s quarterfinals, and coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said that game could be a motivating factor in this year’s playoffs.

“They’re looking to basically redeem themselves,” Bourgoin said. “I think their heads are in a better place regarding that. They have more confidence in their ability.”

The other Eastern B matchup also could end up being a close game, as No. 1 Nokomis (13-0-1) will be at home against No. 8 Oceanside (9-6) at 3 p.m., Wednesday. Nokomis defeated Oceanside, 3-1 on Sept. 13 in Rockland, but it was a 1-1 game until Nokomis forward Leah Edmondson scored twice in the final six minutes.

“I think we need to bring intensity to the game from the very beginning,” Nokomis coach Katie Thompson said. “The last time we played them, we started off flat-footed.”

Like Nokomis, Skowhegan looks to defend its state championship when the top-ranked Indians (14-0) host Brunswick (4-9-1) at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday in an Eastern A quarterfinal. Brunswick played Skowhegan tougher than most teams in a 4-2 loss Oct. 6, but the Indians are still a huge favorite in this one.

Wednesday’s other Eastern A quarterfinal has No. 5 Cony (7-6-1) at No. 4 Brewer at 4 p.m. Cony lost to the Witches 2-0 in Brewer on Sept. 2.

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com