Skowhegan has won nine of the past 10 Class A state field hockey championships. Marshwood’s goal this season was to make the playoffs.

While the teams started the season in diffferent places, they will be playing today for the Class A state title at Yarmouth High School. Eastern A champion Skowhegan is 17-0-0 and has won 35 consecutive games. Marshwood, the No. 5 seed in Western A, is 14-3-0 and has won nine straight games.

The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start and will be the final state championship game of the day. Winthrop and North Yarmouth Academy play for the Class C title at 1 p.m., and Belfast faces York for the Class B championship at 3 p.m.

From the disparity in the long-term success of the programs, you might think this game is a mismatch. But there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that the Hawks are a legitimately strong team.

Scarborough, Sanford and Cheverus were a combined 37-3-2 in the regular season. Marshwood played all three and lost to each by a goal, with two of those games being on the road. In fact, the Hawks have allowed fewer goals (eight) than Skowhegan (10).

“People don’t get to state games if they’re not any good,” Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty said. “It doesn’t matter what their seed is. We’re playing a state game. It’s important, and we’ll be ready.”

The two teams have similar goals allowed, but offense is another story. While Marshwood has 48 goals, or just fewer than three per game, Skowhegan has a whopping 108 goals — well over six per game. Jessie Skillings has 27 goals, and Makaela Michonski is also over 20. Other big scorers are Nicole Sevey, Haley Holt and Sarah Finnemore, making it impossible for the Indians’ opponents to focus on one player.

Skowhegan’s defense gets overlooked with all those goals, but Mikayla Fitzmaurice will be playing Division I field hockey in college and back Adrianna Martineau and goalie Anne-Marie Provencal are solid.

Skowhegan struggled in the first half of a 5-2 victory over Cony in the semifinals but came back with a strong performance in defeating Messalonskee 2-1 in the regional final.

“I think we’re playing well,” Doughty said. “I have no doubt it’s going to be a battle, because state games are always a battle.”

Marshwood finished 5-8-1 last year but didn’t graduate any players from that team. The Hawks have eight forwards, and five of them are sophomores.

“Last year, the whole front line was all freshmen,” Marshwood coach Lisa Truesdale said. “This year, they’ve definitely matured, and they have much more confidence.”

The Hawks have played a lot of 1-0, 2-0 and 2-1 games, and the defense is led by midfielders Natalia Bachelder and Samantha Crossman, back Caitlin Carr and goalie Jacquelyn Tworkowski.

“It’s a magical unit back there, because they want to work for (Jacquelyn),” Truesdale said.

Still, Marshwood is the underdog. The Hawks, however, are not just happy to be playing.

“It’s not, ‘Hey let’s do our best because we’ve got nothing to lose,’ ” Truesdale said. “I think they really want to get this game.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com