OAKLAND — Ten minutes or so after the Cony girls lacrosse team secured a monumental victory, most of the crowd had left a brightly lit Veterans Field. Abby Morrill, Maci Freeman and their families, though, were still there.
Morrill held up a sign in honor of her 100th career goal, which she had scored early in the Rams’ 10-7 victory over Messalonskee. Freeman, who had netted her 100th earlier in the season, was the last to join her teammate, someone with whom she’s spent nearly every waking moment in lacrosse, field hockey and basketball this year.
“Every coach wishes they could have a Maci-Abby combo on their team,” said Cony head coach Gretchen Livingston. “That’s not just because of their skill level and their talent but for their leadership and their poise. It’s evident in how they carry themselves in their community and in lacrosse, basketball, field hockey — you name it.”
They certainly carried themselves well on the field on this night, one in which Cony secured its biggest win of the season with the much-needed Heal points. Morrill and Katelynn Dutil scored three goals each for the Rams, who also got two from Freeman in a game they led from wire to wire.
Cony (9-4) took a quick lead as a goal from Freeman put the Rams in front after just 48 seconds. E.J. Parsons then tied it for Messalonskee with 9:56 to go in the opening quarter, but Emma Buccellato would respond four minutes later to put Cony back in front.
Morrill then made it 3-1 Rams as she scored career goal No. 99 with 3:48 to go in the opening period. Then, 1 minute, 10 seconds later, she added another on an assist from Freeman to give Cony a three-goal lead and spark a bench-clearing celebration from her jubilant teammates.
“It feels amazing; I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Morrill said. “(To get it from a) beautiful pass from my buddy Maci means a lot. We’ve been playing together forever; her mom actually got me into the sport.”
Freeman then scored her second with 10.9 left in the opening quarter before Dutil made it 6-1 two minutes into the second. Chloe Masse broke a scoreless drought of more than 17 minutes for Messalonskee (8-4) with 4:45 left in the half, but Dutil scored just 46 seconds later to restore the five-goal lead.
Messalonskee fought back valiantly in the second, pulling within two goals at 9-7 with 8:43 still to play in the game. Yet card accumulation proved to be the death knell for the Eagles, who were two players down after picking up five yellows and couldn’t claw back for another goal.
“Possession is key to this game, and coming down the stretch, we had a couple turnovers that they took advantage of,” Livingston said. “They’re a powerful team, and they’ve got girls who can really get their heads to the net. It was important for us to get that possession back and support each other.”
Parsons and Sophia Ventimiglia had two goals each for Messalonskee, which scored three of its seven goals in a 59-second span in the fourth quarter after Morrill scored with 11:20 left to put Cony up 9-4.
Despite boasting a winning record by a healthy margin, Cony entered the game in eighth place in the Class B North standings, two spots behind Messalonskee. The Rams, Freeman said, were well aware of how important this contest was to achieving their goals of potentially earning a bye to the quarterfinals.
“It was a big game; they were ranked sixth, and we were eighth, and we really needed this in the Heal point standings,” Freeman said. “We just needed to come together as one — they’re a very talented, fast group — and I think we did that by just working together.”
Morrill’s 100th goal following Freeman’s earlier in the season continued a remarkable 2023-24 athletic season for the duo. Prior to writing their names in the program’s record books, the two had excellent fall and winter seasons on Cony field hockey and basketball teams that both won Northern Maine championships.
It’s something that the two know won’t last much longer with Freeman set to graduate in just a few weeks. It’s been a special ride, though, and the senior captain is hoping it lasts as long as possible in the form of a deep Cony playoff run.
“It’s really bittersweet, honestly,” Freeman said. “We’ve been playing together since elementary school, and it’s our last year together. We’re just making the most of it.”
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