WINSLOW — When things are going well, the Winslow field hockey team is not flashy. They’re 11 players working together, with no one really standing out but everyone getting the job done.

On Saturday morning, the Black Raiders discovered that when things aren’t going well, they have the kind of players who can stand out and make big plays.

Facing a tough Oceanside team, Winslow needed those big plays in the first half. Alyssa Wood denied the Mariners two great scoring opportunities, and goalie Delaney Wood made some big saves. Brooke Haskell scored twice in the second half, and Winslow had a 2-0 victory.

Winslow had won its first 11 games of the season before losing 1-0 in overtime Tuesday to unbeaten Nokomis. The Raiders then had three days to think about things before facing Oceanside.

“We talked about 16 yards coming out for us, and defensively 16 yards, and cutting to the ball,” Haskell said. “I feel like we did pretty good — definitely better in the second half than in the first half.”

It was senior day at Winslow, so the Raiders gave senior Jordyn Dorval an extra honor. Dorval, a standout sweeper for the Raiders, has not played at all this season because of an ACL tear. Winslow started Saturday’s game with the ball, so Bourgoin called for a quick pass back to Dorval, who played it and then came off the field.

“It was a surprise,” Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said. “She didn’t know it was happening. She hadn’t been cleared to play at all, so we just said, ‘Senior game, can she just get out there, start the game, and touch the ball, and then come off?’ She was definitely blown away that she was going to be able to go in, and very, very emotional. It was a good day.”

Oceanside (9-4) was still a threat even without forward Jackie Thorbjornson, who is out with an injury. The Mariners earned seven penalty corners in the first half to keep consistent pressure on Winslow’s defense. Alyssa Wood and Bethany Winkin each snuffed out corners by stealing the ball.

Wood made another big play when Winslow had a corner and the insertion pass was hard and went through Winslow’s attack. Oceanside would have been off to the races on a breakaway, but Wood was able to cut off the angle and force the ball out of bounds.

Thanks to those plays — and a split save by Delaney Wood to deny Oceanside’s Amanda Hoppe — the game was scoreless at halftime. But Bourgoin felt the communication wasn’t there for Winslow, and that the Black Raiders weren’t playing their game.

“The other thing we were going up against was a very skilled, well-coached team that is fast,” Bourgoin said. “It was great competition, and they need to rise to the occasion and not panic.”

Winslow went up 1-0 with 16:29 remaining in the game when Wildes crossed the ball from right to left and Haskell knocked it in on the left post. Haskell’s second goal came on the right post, as she got a pass from Winkin and beat her defender to make it 2-0.

“I think mentally, they pulled it together,” Bourgoin said. “You’re going to make mistakes. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s how you handle them. So that was our conversation. I do think, second half, they were much, much better.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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