After being named the Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year last season, Cony goalkeeper Katrina Duncan was determined to prove she deserved the recognition.

Duncan accomplished her goal and more, helping the Rams to a fourth straight appearance in the Eastern Maine Class A tournament while making 106 saves to pushing her career total to over 450 saves.

“Receiving this recognition, last year, gave me something to prove,” she said. “I wanted to prove to everyone that I deserved it.”

For her outstanding season and leadership, Duncan has been named the Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year for the second straight season. Also, considered were teammates Mia Diplock and Chelsea Begin along with Messalonskee’s Sara Grenier.

“Katrina worked extremely hard every day to be the best goalie and the best teammate that she could be,” Cony coach Gretchen Livingston said. “Her outstanding play set the tone for the rest of the team. The girls knew that when Katrina came up with big save after big save, they had to produce for us at the other end and that inspired them.”

In 12 regular-season games, Duncan held opponents to single figures scoring eight times. Her ability to read an attacking player’s movements was one of her strong points.

“Katrina truly dedicated herself to the game,” Livingston said. “She has been an integral part of the Cony girls lacrosse team ever since her freshman year and a key piece of our success.”

Aside from her athletic prowess, Duncan was a dedicated team player whose example in practice and on the field helped drive the Rams to a winning season.

“We didn’t go as far as we wanted this season, but we had a great group of girls on the team,” Duncan said. “We had a lot of bumps and bruises this season, but our group of seniors were great.”

“Katrina had words of encouragement and wisdom for every player on the team. She was able to lead the defense with her consistent positive communication, and she also coached our offense as to how best to score against the opposing goalies,” Livingston said. “She was invaluable in the cage, but her presence was felt everywhere on the field as well. Katrina kept us in many games and also kept smiles on our faces.”

On the field, Duncan turned in a pair of memorable efforts in back-to-back games that defined the Rams season. The first was a premier performance against Brunswick, the eventual Eastern A champion, on the turf field at Kents Hill, a game that ended when the Dragons scored in the final moments of the game for an 11-10 win.

That heartbreaking loss was followed by an uplifting 10-9 win over Mt. Ararat in a game that quickly turned around Cony’s season, especially coming on the heels of the Brunswick game.

In both games Duncan flashed the webbing of her goalie stick to make tough one-on-one saves inside of 10 yards. She consistently snared balls from entering the goal just when it appeared the Rams would be scored on.

“I really wanted to beat Brunswick,” Duncan said. “It was such an unbelievable game but then we came back and beat Mt. Ararat. That was the most satisfying single game because if we lose that we are done for the season. We blended into a team in that game.”

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