Gorham 5
Cheverus 0
Melanie Hallsworth scored the game-winning goal just 83 seconds into the game for Gorham in Tuesday’s 5-0 quarterfinal round win over Cheverus. At the time, it didn’t appear to be the game winner but the Gorham defense made sure it held up. Hallsworth scored another goal in the second half and the Rams also got goals from Hannah Prince, Ellen Footer and Kayleigh Ballantyne.
“We knew we had to start it off really hard,” Prince said of the early goal. “That’s what we did. We had to bring it.”
The Rams were unrelenting as they exacted a bit of revenge. Back in September, the Rams and Stags played to a 2-2 tie. Gorham controlled the game from the outset, taking advantage of their fast home field. In the first half, they didn’t allow Cheverus a shot on goal.
“I don’t think I had to say anything,” said Gorham coach Amber Hatch. “I think they were still sore from the tie with Cheverus earlier this season so they were motivated to come out and prove themselves. But I did remind them that it’s a whole new season; all or nothing today so don’t leave anything on the field.”
Midway through the opening half, on a penalty corner, Prince scored Gorham’s second goal to provide a bit of breathing room. Shannon O’Brien passed the ball from the top of the circle where Prince redirected it into the cage.
In the second half, the Rams began to pull away. About five minutes into the half, Footer knocked in a rebound to give Gorham a 3-0 lead. The Rams took advantage of another penalty corner a few minutes later and Hallsworth stuffed the ball into the net for her second goal and Gorham’s fourth. Ballantyne scored the final goal of the afternoon with a nifty reverse stick move to give her team a 5-0 edge.
The Rams are hungry in this year’s tournament and would like a return trip to the state final. They will do what it takes to keep their season alive.
“We just knew that this could be our last game potentially,” Prince said. “We knew if we didn’t win, then our season was over.”
Later Tuesday evening, Scarborough defeated Biddeford to set up a rematch between two of the top field hockey teams in the conference. The last time Scarborough and Gorham got together they played to a 1-1 tie. The Rams will head to Scarborough to play on the turf again.
“Turf is a little more predictable,” said Hatch. “The ball travels almost as fast on our field as a turf field but there are no unpredictable hops on turf so you can do things that you can’t always count on here.”
The winner of Saturday’s game advances to the regional final for a shot at making it to the state final. The Rams will be ready.
“It would be nice to set things straight with the other team we tied,” Hatch said.
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