WINSLOW — It’s funny how history can repeat itself.

A year ago, the Winslow field hockey team — then the No. 7 seed — beat undefeated Gardiner in the Class B North quarterfinals.

A year later, the feat repeats itself. In this case, however, the story did not end well for the Black Raiders.

Instead, the Cinderella story falls on No. 8 Nokomis, which defeated No. 1 Winslow 2-0 on Tuesday afternoon.

The Warriors (9-5-2) will hit the road Friday to play No. 4 Gardiner in the semifinal round.

“It feels great, I think we’re all in awe right now,” Nokomis coach Taylor Lovely said. “But we’ve worked hard for this all season. We were ready to come and play today and showed up to play. It’s a great feeling.”

Winslow ends its season with a record of 14-1-0.

“We had our opportunities for sure,” Winslow coach Mary-Beth Bourgoin said. “I can’t even remember the number of (penalty) corners we had that we couldn’t convert. There were opportunities there. I never underestimate Nokomis, their tradition, so that when it comes time for the playoffs, they’re ready to go. They definitely came to play, and they were really on today for sure. It was a highly contested and hard-fought game, it just didn’t go our way.”

Nokomis managed to score both of its goals in the first half, as freshman Lauryn Anderson and junior Maci Leali tallied scores for the Warriors. Emily Pratt added an assist on Anderson’s goal.

The rest of the contest was a defensive battle between both squads, with the edge going to Nokomis thanks to the play of goalkeeper Chelsea Crockett. The senior captain had 13 saves to earn the shutout.

The game was very different from the first meeting between the two schools. The Black Raiders won 4-0 in Winslow back on Sept. 14.

“Pretty much, we focused on playing as a team today,” Lovely said. “It’s not about one player out there, it’s about coming together as a team and winning as a team. We’ve really focused on that this season, and it’s definitely what we did today.”

Bourgoin said she noticed improved play from the Warriors since the first game.

“Their cutting to the ball and decision-making with the ball improved greatly,” Bourgoin said. “The other thing they did really well was they marked us really well. They had a game plan, and they executed it.”

Though the season ended quicker than anticipated, Bourgoin said there are plenty of reasons for the Black Raiders to hold their heads high.

“Team chemistry is really important, and they really worked well together and worked to get the chemistry to work,” Bourgoin said. “I’m so proud of all of them, because that is key for a team’s success. That was our focus for the season and they did a great job with it.”

Dave Dyer — 621-5640

ddyer@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer

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