FALMOUTH — Winthrop/Maranacook claimed its seventh straight regional championship to its seventh straight state final and later this week will be playing for its fourth straight Class C championship.

The top-seeded Ramblers capitalized on corners en route to a 3-0 victory over second-seeded Hall-Dale/Monmouth 3-0 in the Class C South final Wednesday at Falmouth High School. With the win, the Ramblers reached their seventh straight state title game.

“This one is a little extra special for us because we knew coming into this year, we will have a lot of pressure,” Winthrop coach Melissa Perkins said. “Playing with pressure is sometimes hard to overcome, and playing as you are, who you are, as a team. I think they executed that really nicely tonight.”

Winthrop/Maranacook (17-0) will face C North champion Dexter/Central in the Class C title game Saturday at Edward Little High School in Auburn. Winthrop beat Dexter in last year’s state final, 2-1.

The Ramblers, who won the corner battle 18-7, scored all three of their goals on corners in Wednesday’s regional final.

“We have been working on penalty corners a lot, and it has paid off,” Winthrop freshman Gracelyn Folsom said.

Madeline Wagner scored a goal and assisted on another, while Folsom had two assists for Winthrop.

“Being able to contribute so much and be a part of this team, it’s amazing,” Folsom said.

The Bulldogs (13-4) almost got out of the first quarter unscathed. However, on Winthrop’s third penalty corner of the period, Folsom found Wagner in the circle for a goal with 30 seconds remaining.

“The key to this game was definitely patience and playing our game like we know how,” Wagner said.

The Ramblers nearly stretched their lead to two goals early in the second quarter when they put the ball in the cage on their fourth corner of the contest, but the officials waived it off.

Folsom’s second assist came after the ball was inserted on a corner and she found fellow freshman Evelyn Mortimer, whose shot beat Hall-Dale goalie Jade Graham.

The Bulldogs made a push late in the first half and earned a corner, but Winthrop defenders cleared the ball before the buzzer.

Perkins said Graham “is an excellent goalie and everybody knows that,” and Graham showed why in the opening second of the third quarter when she made a pad-stacking save. The Bulldogs then flipped the field, but Winthrop goalie Cyara Harriman shut it down with a sprawling save two minutes into the second half.

That was the only stop Harriman needed to make Wednesday. Graham, meanwhile, finished with 10 saves.

“She is by far one of our biggest assets on our team,” Hall-Dale coach Amber Estes said. “That kid goes out on this field and literally leaves every single thing she has. When she comes off in between quarters and halftime, she is one of the most positive kids in our huddle. She always says, ‘Pick yourself back up, let’s get out there, let’s keep fighting.'”

Graham made another big save midway through the third quarter on a shot by Wagner, but the Ramblers got a corner. Wagner received the insert and found sophomore Piper Clark on the backdoor for a 3-0 Winthrop/Maranacook lead.

Nine of the 17 players on the Ramblers roster are underclassmen, and many, such as Folsom, Mortimer, Clark and Harriman have played big roles for the three-time defending champs.

“We put a lot of effort and we have a lot of pride in our younger girls,” Wagner said. “Just to see them grow up, and finally play with them and them making a big impact is amazing.”

Hall-Dale had three penalty corners in the third quarter and only had one shot on goal early in the period.

“We just needed to capitalize on that, and we had been working a lot in practice about capitalizing on our corners,” Estes said. “They look great in practice. We were executing them. Like I said, I think it brings it back to nerves, but they were ready. They were ready, coming in today.”

While Hall-Dale’s season ended one game short of the state championship, Estes said this was still a special year for the Bulldogs.

“I think it was the road to get here, honestly,” Estes said. “Hall-Dale hasn’t been back to a regional game in 22 years or more. And we knew at the beginning of the season, I asked the girls what their goals were, and they said, ‘To get to a regional game.’ The road here was very sweet. We went undefeated on our home turf this whole season. These girls have worked harder than I have ever seen them work.”