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SKOWHEGAN — With an important piece of its midfield missing, it took some time for the Skowhegan field hockey team to truly click on penalty corners in its home opener. 

The River Hawks, though, always seems to make the plays that matter, and after continuing to apply pressure, their perseverance paid off in crucial win.

Skowhegan earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mt. Blue on Tuesday in a KVAC Class A showdown. Grace Mayo and Dasia Alberico scored second-half goals for the River Hawks after Morgan Hersey gave Mt. Blue an early lead.

“(Charlotte Haynie) is a key starter for us, and those kids just dug so deep without her to get it done,” said Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty. “We had two or three kids play her position today, and they all stepped in and did fine. My kids have a lot of heart.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After controlling most of the first quarter, Mt. Blue (1-1) went in front at the 7:48 mark on Hersey’s goal. The Cougars then fended off a slew of Skowhegan corners thanks to some solid play by their defenders, as well as numerous kick saves by goalie Gwen Lesperance.

• Unfazed by Mt. Blue’s defensive prowess, Skowhegan (2-0) kept applying pressure and eventually tied the game with 2:01 left in the third quarter. The equalizer came courtesy of Mayo, whose long-range shot following a corner beat Lesperance’s outstretched right leg.

• Another powerful ball toward goal early in the fourth quarter made its way to Alberico, who flicked it in from close range to give Skowhegan the lead. The River Hawks continued to dominate possession, stalling out the clock late in the game.

WHAT IT MEANS

• Skowhegan’s midfield showed resilience without one of its key players. Doughty praised the work of Emily Bruce, Maddi Provost and Sydney Perkins, a trio that improved as the game went on, in Haynie’s absence.

• Skowhegan prevailed in a rematch of last year’s Class A North semifinal against Mt. Blue on the same field. After it took a goal late in the third quarter to break a scoreless deadlock in that game, the Cougars once again gave the River Hawks everything they could handle Tuesday.

“We have been preparing for this (game) since the summer,” Alberico said. “We played them already in the summer, and I think we were just ready; we knew what they were going to come out as.”

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

• “These kids, they’ve really learned to believe in themselves. In early summer, if we got behind in a game, they would just flop, but not anymore. They’ve really learned a lot, and they really believe in themselves now. Today was huge for us.” — Paula Doughty

• “(Jaiden Dodge, who had two assists) is amazing. She’s a powerhouse; she knows exactly what the defense is doing, and she’s such a key player for us.” — Grace Mayo

STAT LEADERS

• Mt. Blue: Morgan Hersey (goal), Kali Judkins (assist), Gwen Lesperance (eight saves), eight shots on goal, four penalty corners

• Skowhegan: Grace Mayo (goal, assist), Dasia Alberico (goal), Jaiden Dodge (two assists), Faith Pease (assist), Michelle Williams (nine saves), nine shots on goal, 12 penalty corners

UP NEXT

• Mt. Blue: at Mt. Ararat (1-0-1), 11 a.m. Saturday

• Skowhegan: vs. Leavitt (1-1), 3:30 p.m. Friday