Motivation comes in many forms for field hockey teams this time of year. Many teams have realistic shots at state titles. Others are hoping to use lessons from recent games.
For a team like Winslow, it’s both. The Black Raiders won 11 games this fall and their last game, a 2-1 loss to Waterville, could help them Wednesday afternoon against Mt. View.
Additional Photos
“I think that was a lesson for them that they can’t assume anything about any opponent,” Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said. “(Mt. View’s) going to come out strong and fighting. They don’t want to end their season and we don’t want to end ours.”
Every Eastern B first-round matchup is a rematch of a good game in the regular season, except for the 4-5 game between Winslow and Mt. View. Winslow won the first meeting 6-1 on Sept. 6. But the Mustangs have posted a 9-1-1 record since that game, so they’re in strong position to make it a closer outcome when the teams play at 3 p.m., Wednesday in Winslow.
“That’s what I told my girls,” Bourgoin said. “I said, ‘That was a fluke for them.’ I told my girls, ‘You are not going to see the same team you saw when you beat them 6 to 1.’”
No. 2 Nokomis plays No. 7 Oceanside in a rematch of a 1-1 regular season meeting. Oceanside scored to force overtime in the final two minutes.
“We just really need to go into it with our whole heart and our whole head and really keep our minds into it for the whole 60 minutes,” Nokomis coach Katie Thompson said. “I think they are ready for it.”
The 1-8 game has Belfast hosting Gardiner at 3 p.m., Wednesday. When the teams played in the regular season in Gardiner, the Tigers earned a 3-0 victory.
In Eastern A, Skowhegan and Messalonskee are the favorites to advance to the regional final. Messalonskee, the No. 2 seed, opens at 3 p.m. today against No. 7 Oxford Hills at Thomas College in Waterville. Messalonskee defeated the Vikings 10-0 in South Paris earlier this fall.
No. 1 Skowhegan will face No. 8 Cony on Wednesday. In the teams’ only meeting this season, Skowhegan rolled to a 14-0 victory. Cony has been playing much better of late, including a 1-0 overtime loss to third-seeded Lawrence on the final day of the regular season.
Lawrence hosts No. 6 Brewer at 3:30 p.m., today. Lawrence controlled the flow of play when the teams met twice this fall, but it didn’t entirely show up on the scoreboard. The first game ended in a scoreless tie, and the second, in Fairfield, was a 1-0 Lawrence victory.
“We need deflections, rebounds,” Lawrence coach Lisa Larrabee said. “It has to be a sustained attack.”
No. 2 Winthrop hosts No. 7 Boothbay in an Eastern C quarterfinal at 3 p.m., today. The Ramblers (12-1-1) have defeated Boothbay (3-11) twice this year, but if Winthrop coach Sharon Coulton needs another exhibit in her “why not to take them lightly” display, she can remind her players of last year’s quarterfinals. The two teams were the same seeds, and Winthrop squeaked out a 3-2 victory.
“They’re a good team — better than their record indicates, I think,” Coulton said. “They have nine seniors and a few of them have been strong players for a long time.”
No. 8 Maine Central Institute will look for the upset over No. 1 Dexter at 3 p.m., Wednesday. Dexter owns some wins over good Class B teams, but MCI played in a brutal top-to-bottom league.
“I really pitched the game (to our girls) as our schedule is a great warm-up,” MCI coach Nancy Hughes said. “I’m sure they’ll be very good, but we (also) played a lot of high-quality teams.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.