OAKLAND — The unpredictability of grass can slow down even a field hockey team of Messalonskee’s skill and aggressiveness. But eventually something’s got to give.
The Eagles scored a pair of goals in each half Tuesday en route to a 4-0 win against Oxford Hills in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A contest.
The shutout was the seventh in eight games for unbeaten Messalonskee while Oxford Hills falls to 3-4-1.
Emily Hogan scored a pair of goals in the first half while Nathalie St. Pierre scored twice in the second. Both seniors are used to playing indoors or on turf, but have the ability to adjust to grass where most of their high school games are played.
“It just takes a lot more power and getting a lot lower and trying to get under the ball,” Hogan said. “I definitely think grass play takes a lot more mental toughness than turf does because you’re more likely to lose the ball on grass because you might hit a bump or think you have the ball and not actually have it.”
Hogan put the Eagles on the board early when she redirected a shot by Autumn Littlefield. Hogan would test Vikings goalie Anna Huff (seven saves) a couple more times in the first half with shots high into her pads. She eventually got her second goal with 6 minutes, 22 seconds left in the half.
“Riley (Field) hit the ball in and then I dribbled over to the right post and hit it through the goalie’s legs,” Hogan said.
Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard saw improvement in her team’s play since it lost 5-0 to the Eagles a couple of weeks ago.
“It’s a much better effort,” Goddard said. “We had much better passing and much more talking and communication.”
The Eagles are solid all the way through their lineup which makes it difficult to zero in on one or two players.
“You can’t really concentrate on one or two,” Goddard said. “They have some really good players in the middle and they do a nice job finding the open person and making the pass.”
The Vikings picked up their play in the second half, but it was St. Pierre who came away with the first score to make it 3-0. Scoring chances continued to come the Eagles’ way thanks in large part to strong play at midfield led by sophomore center mid Haley Lowell.
“She’s our playmaker,” Messalonskee coach Katie McLaughlin said. “We’re getting much smoother with our passes and our transition. Our middle is very strong with Haley Lowell, Ally (Corbett) and Riley.”
St. Pierre scored her second goal of the game as she took a pass from Lowell and blasted a long right to left shot into the back of the cage.
The Eagles finished with 12 shots to two for the Vikings and led in penalty corner 8-6. Messalonskee goalie Hannah Pinney was tested twice and made both stops.
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