Senior captain Lianna Hachborn helped North Yarmouth Academy complete a perfect 14-0 regular season. NYA, the defending Class C state champs, is poised for another deep postseason run. (Brian Beard photo, www.CIPhotography.com)
Editor's note:The final regular season field hockey polls are out.
They were the hunted all season, beginning in sweltering August and continuing through frosty fall. They were chased, but rarely caught.
They allowed a combined 16 goals in 42 regular season games. They finished a combined 41-1.
They are the defending field hockey state champions — Skowhegan in Class A; York in B and North Yarmouth Academy in C.
And here’s what else: They are prepared and talented enough to win it all again.
The question is, will they?
The field hockey state tournaments get under way Friday beginning with regional quarterfinal games. In a little more than two weeks, state champions will be crowned.
Let the games begin.
CLASS A
Skowhegan enters as the favorite to win its ninth consecutive Class A title. The Indians outscored their opposition a whopping 53-1 during the regular season.
The Skowhegan and Messalonskee field hockey teams are seeded first and second, respectively, in the Eastern A playoffs. Here, the teams play at Colby College in an early season showdown, which the Indians won 4-0.
"Can we win it? Absolutely," Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty said. "But that doesn't mean we will. There is a lot of good competition out there. But we have a nice mix of players. I have a lot of kids who I can play, which is good."
And with three Division I collegiate players on the roster — triplets Mallory, Makayla and Megan Hancock will play at Division I Bentley next fall — the Indians are loaded and experienced to make another dominant run through October.
“This is one of their best teams,” said Messalonskee coach Brenda Beckwith, whose Eagles finished 13-1 and are seeded second in Eastern A. “They are the team to beat. When you do get an opportunity against them, you have to be prepared. You have to think you have a chance and you have to surprise them with something they aren’t counting on. Oh, and you have to play above your ability.”
Sounds simple, right?
Well, if anyone poses a threat to Skowhegan in Eastern A, it’s Messalonskee.
The Indians edged the Eagles 2-1 in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championship game Tuesday night. Skowhegan won the regular season meeting, 4-0.
“It’s theirs to lose,” said Beckwith, who received strong play all season from senior captain and center-back Holly Oliver. “You can’t make any mistakes against them.”
The Bangor field hockey team finished 9-5-0, with two of its losses coming to eight-time defending Class A state champ Skowhegan. (Troy Kitchin photo)
Skowhegan hosts No. 8 Brewer on Saturday at 11 a.m. Messalonskee hosts No. 7 Edward Little on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Elsewhere in Eastern A, No. 3 Bangor (9-5) and No. 4 Cony (9-5) should also contend.
In Western A, top seed Scarborough (14-0), like Skowhegan, enjoyed an unblemished regular season.
The Red Storm have allowed just one goal since the end of September and would love another shot at Skowhegan in the state title game.
Skowhegan edged Scarborough 2-1 in the state title game last season. Scarborough hosts No. 8 Thornton Academy on Saturday. No. 2 Cheverus (13-1), No. 3 Gorham (12-2) and No. 4 Bonny Eagle (10-3-1) could all challenge Scarborough.
However, the Red Storm have a decisive advantage throughout the tournament — the regional finals will be played on their home turf.
CLASS B
After rolling through the regular season, York lost its regular season finale to Fryeburg Academy, 3-2. The loss isn’t exactly how the powerful Wildcats hoped to enter the postseason.
“It’s unfortunate,” York coach Barbara Marois said. “But there are different ways to react to it. The good thing is, the loss isn’t permanent. It was in the regular season, and the regular season is over. Sometimes, a loss can be beneficial, depending on the circumstances. The reality is, it can happen to anyone. To have it happen on the last day is tough, though.”
Just how beneficial the setback is remains to be seen. But this much is certain: The Wildcats are still the team to beat in Western B, if not the state.
“We have a target on our backs,” said Marois, who plays No. 8 Gray-New Gloucester on Saturday. “The kids know that. We know teams really want to knock us off.”
Western B contenders include No. 2 Wells (11-3-0) and No. 3 Maranacook (9-4-1).
“Going into this season, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Maranacook first-year coach Nancy Martin said. “But I think we did a little bit better than we expected. We’re certainly in the upper end of the league.”
The Black Bears, who host No. 6 Greely on Friday at 3 p.m., start seven seniors, including backs Emily Guild, Laurel Criss and Sarah Maxwell. Senior forward Meghan Surette led the team in scoring while Amanda LaPorte and Haley Pierce were strong up front as well.
In Eastern B, Gardiner (14-0) earned the top seed after dropping from Class A last season. The Tigers were dominant much of the season, winning nine of their games by four goals or more. Upstart Nokomis (11-1-2) earned the second seed while Mt. View (11-1-2) checked in at No. 3.
“We rose to the challenge this season,” Nokomis coach Katie Thompson said. “Gardiner has shown they are a force to be reckoned with. They are the team to beat.”
Sabrina Vaillancourt and Jordin McGinnis led the Warriors with 16 goals.
“We expect every game to be tough,” Thompson said. “We’ve seen a lot of these teams before, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
Nokomis opens with No. 7 Belfast on Friday.
CLASS C
North Yarmouth Academy allowed just four goals all season, although just one since Sept. 15. The Cougars finished tied with Telstar (14-0), but earned the No. 1 seed based on Heal points.
That was key for the Panthers, because they assured themselves nothing but games on artificial turf the rest of the way.
North Yarmouth Academy junior center-midfielder Frances Leslie moves the ball during a game against Waynflete this season. NYA is the top seed in the Western C tournament.
NYA has a turf field and the Panthers would be home up until the regional final, which would be played on the turf at Scarborough.
“It’s a huge advantage for us,” coach Julia Sterling said. “Last year we never expected to win the state final. We have a better team this year, but we didn’t expect to go No. 1. It was a different year for us.
"We didn’t know we’d be as good as we are, for sure. We only have 12 girls and two subs. We surprised ourselves. We didn’t have too many scares this season, so we need to be prepared for that. It’ll be fun for us to get into tournament.”
NYA features a quartet of hockey players whom Sterling calls a “force.”
Forward Katherine Millitt, center-forward Lianna Hachborn, right wing Kylie Dalbec and forward Frances Leslie lead the Panthers.
“They just know where to go with the ball,” Sterling said. “We work hard. We’ve learned how to change fields. We’re ready.”
So is Winthrop (13-1), which earned the No. 2 seed in Eastern C.
The Ramblers won the Mountain Valley Conference championship Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Telstar, which is seeded second in the West.
“That gives us some momentum going into the playoffs,” Winthrop coach Sharon Coulton said. “We’re just to keep doing what we do.”
What the Ramblers do is score goals. Nikki Scott led the team in scoring with 15 goals. She was followed by Kelsey Ouellette (14) and Kenzie Hill (10).
“We’re seeded second and we’re ready,” said Coulton, whose team hosts No. 7 Orono on Friday.
Elsewhere in Class C, Dexter (11-3-0) is seeded first in the East while Foxcroft Academy (11-3-0) is third. In the West, Livermore (11-3-0) is seeded third behind NYA and Telstar.
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