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LEWISTON — The Belfast field hockey team went into this season with a brand-new trophy in the case at school. From the first day, the Lions set their sights on adding another.

“That was their goal all season, to be back here and to repeat,” coach Jan Jackson said. “We worked really hard for that as a team, and we did it.”

Jocelyn Valleau scored the only goal off a corner in the third quarter, and Belfast completed an undefeated season with a 1-0 victory over Freeport in the Class B final Saturday at Lewiston High School.

“It means so much to us. This team, specifically, because we’ve all been playing with each other since we were little,” said midfielder Halle Tarbox, the KVAC Class B Player of the Year and one of 12 seniors on the roster for the Lions (18-0). “It’s just really nice to share this incredible moment with them.”

The feeling of victory was more relaxed than last year, when Belfast battled Yarmouth through overtimes and into penalty corners before prevailing.

“It’s much more ease-into-it,” Valleau said. “It feels much better than the stressful overtime.”

Freeport (14-4), which has 13 seniors, pressured early and late but couldn’t find the goal it needed for a shot at a second state title in three years.

“We played our game. I’m super proud of them,” coach Marcia Wood said. “I know they’re hurting, but I just wanted to get to this game.”

Belfast had to endure the graduation of Bre Shorey, who scored 44 goals last year and 128 for her career, third all-time in Maine. But the veteran Lions continued their dominance, outscoring opponents 72-8 this season.

“I think some people thought ‘I don’t know who’s going to put the goals in,'” Jackson said. “But I said ‘They’re all going to. They’re all going to do it.'”

It was Valleau’s turn Saturday. On Belfast’s 10th corner, she inserted to Allison Friel, who passed it back down. Valleau won a battle for the ball, eluded Freeport defensive ace Lizalyn Boudreau’s reach, then put a reverse in the goal for a 1-0 lead with 6:20 to go in the third.

“I’ve shot goals like that before in games,” she said, “so I knew that if I was able to reverse it and just tip it in a little bit, I could get it in.”

Jackson said the goal showed Valleau’s skill set, one that will have her playing at Division II Franklin Pierce next year.

“She has amazing skills,” Jackson said. “She’s all field hockey, she’s amazing.”

Needing a goal, Freeport became more aggressive with the ball in the fourth quarter and played most of it in the Belfast end. The Falcons’ best chance came with just over 11 minutes left, when Emily Groves and Liza Flower had back-to-back shots that Nikki Shorey saved, and Abby Cormier had a third go off the side of the net.

It was the final game for Freeport’s senior core, which took the Falcons to three state finals in four years.

“It put us on the map,” Wood said. “It got the love for the littles. We saw the youth kiddos in the stands today, and they get to see that and they get to say ‘I want to do that some day.’ … We’ve built a good thing here.”