PITTSFIELD — Shawna Robinson flashed a broad smile that was going to be difficult to remove. The Lawrence High School field hockey coach had just watched her team give its best effort of the season so far.
“We played a complete game, finally,” Robinson said. “It was a full team effort, and we haven’t had that all year. Everything I asked them to do, they did.”
The Bulldogs scored three goals in the first half and pulled away from Maine Central Institute for a 4-0 victory in a Class B North quarterfinal. No. 5 Lawrence (12-3) will face No. 1 Winslow (13-2) in the regional semifinals Saturday. No. 4 MCI finished 11-4.
Maine Central Institute’ senior Carrie Burr, left, battles for the ball with Lawrence’s Alexis Tardy during a Class B North quarterfinal game Tuesday at Manson Park in Pittsfield. Morning Sentinel photo by Michael G. Seamans
“We all had each other’s backs and we were hyping each other up. The motivation was key,” said Lawrence junior forward Victoria Dunphy, who two goals and an assist.
Tuesday’s playoff game saw Dunphy at a new position, moving from wing to center forward as a way to generate offense.
“We weren’t scoring very well. We needed to get some offense. Just me in that position, distributing the ball, worked today,” Dunphy said.
Almost 10 minutes into the game, Lawrence took a 1-0 lead on a McKenzie Nadeau goal. With 12:50 left in the first half, Haylei Niles scored on a rebound of a Dunphy shot to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Robinson urged her team to keep pushing. The Huskies beat Lawrence, 2-0, in a regular season game on Sept. 19 on the artificial turf at Thomas College. MCI scored both goals in a span of eight minutes that day.
“This is a quick game. They’re a great team and they can score fast, and we know that. We knew one (goal) wasn’t enough. Two wasn’t enough,” Robinson said.
Dunphy’s first goal came with 5:10 left in the first half, on a hard shot from the top of the circle, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead at the half.
“They had a lot of intensity that I think caught us off guard in the beginning,” MCI coach Nancy Hughes said of Lawrence’s fast start.
The Bulldogs added their fourth and final goal with 16:06 left in the game, when a Dunphy shot went off a Huskies defender into the cage.
“We definitely overachieved. We have a young team, and we have only four returning starters from last year. Of those returning starters, two were sophomores,” Hughes said. “It bodes well for the future. We don’t really want to think about the future today. It’s hard for the seniors. I’m always proud of them.”
Lawrence’s win sets up a rematch with rival Winslow. The Black Raiders defeated Lawrence, 5-0, late in the regular season.
“It’s a huge rivalry, and we get it into our heads that we can’t do it. That’s so untrue. We have the talent,” Dunphy said.
Emma Poulin made five saves for the shutout win.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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