GARDINER — This year, the rivalry boot is going with the Gardiner field hockey team.
Down 3-1 at halftime, the Tigers scored three unanswered goals in the second half to beat rival Cony 4-3 on Tuesday night at Hoch Field.
“It’s amazing, it feels amazing,” said Gardiner’s Savannah Brown, who scored two goals in the win. “We just needed to relax and just stay calm. The second half, we adjusted and pulled out the win.”
Gardiner improves to 3-0, while Cony falls to 1-2. With the win, the Tigers claim the Cony-Gardiner boot for the first time since 2016.
“They know I’m old, and I swear they do this just to give me heart palpitations,” Gardiner head coach Sharon Gallant said. “We said at halftime to be resilient and not give up. I don’t mind losing if they play hard, and I didn’t feel like we played as hard as we could (in the first half)…Once we were within one (goal), I think they could see (they could win) and it was a different ball game.”
On top of Brown’s two goals, Dewey Clary and Addison Carter each tallied goals for Gardiner.
Cony’s Caroline Hendrickson, left, and Gardiner’ Brianna Smith fight to control the ball during the Drive Out Cancer field hockey game Tuesday in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Abby Morrill led the Rams with two goals, while Elise Cunningham added a goal.
“Gardiner played an outstanding game,” Cony head coach Holly Daigle said. “They were tough coming from behind and they were resilient. We want to win, but win or lose, these are the games that are fun to be a part of.”
The contest was also the annual Drive Out Cancer game for both schools. Before the game, it was announced that both Cony and Gardiner had raised over $120,000 for the Alfond Cancer Center over the 14 years the event has existed.
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