NORTHPORT — For three quarters, the Cony field hockey team hung with Belfast, the No. 1 seed in Class B North.

But the heat, and Breanna Shorey, made sure the Lions were walking off the field of Point Lookout with a victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Shorey scored three goals and had an assist, as Belfast beat Cony 4-1 in a battle of unbeatens.

“We’ve just been working together as a team, and we’re just really coming together,” said Shorey, a junior midfielder.

Belfast (12-0) was up 1-0 late into the third quarter. But senior midfielder Maci Freeman managed to slip a shot past goalkeeper Nikki Shorey to tally a goal for the Rams (8-1), tying the game 1-1.

Shorey turned the momentum back in favor of the Lions, taking a shot across her body and into the cage for a 2-1 lead. Shorey added her third and final goal three minutes later.

Shorey managed to deke Cony goalkeeper Avery Maxim and slip a pass to teammate Lawless Desrochers for a goal and the final 4-1 score.

“I’m thrilled, they played so good,” Belfast head coach Jan Jackson said. “We knew coming into this game that it would be a really tough matchup. They’re a lot like us, they’re fast, they’re good with their sticks… We really haven’t been tested a lot until recently, with Nokomis and Messalonskee in the past week. So I’m very pleased with how my defense is playing as well.”

Halle Tarbox had three assists, while Jocelyn Valleau added two assists.

Even down by three goals, Cony kept battling, putting pressure on Belfast throughout the remainder of the fourth quarter. The Rams had allowed just four goals in their first eight games before taking on the Lions.

“We had our opportunities, we definitely had some good looks (offensively),” Cony head coach Holly Daigle said. “We needed to finish more today, and (Belfast) executed on those breakaways. We had a tough time with that. We did a lot of things really well. I’m really proud of my girls’ effort.”

The Lions had allowed just two goals this season before Freeman’s goal. Belfast has scored 85 goals this season, led by Shorey with 31.

“Passing, spreading out and talking has probably been our main thing,” Shorey said. “We spread out across the field skill-wise, and that really helps out.”

Cony remained No. 2 in the B North standings after Tuesday’s game, followed by Leavitt (9-0), Nokomis (7-1) and Gardiner (7-3).

Daigle said she was proud of her team’s effort, fighting through 80-degree temperatures on Point Lookout’s turf surface.

“We never gave up,” Daigle said. “We were putting pressure on, we were getting good crosses into the circle. Lots of (offensive) opportunities, which was great. I feel like we had it in our offensive end a fair amount. Now we just need to work on that execution and finishing.”

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