Opponents will be happy if they can simply hang with the Scarborough High field hockey team this season.
Bonny Eagle, a potential playoff team this fall, did so for just over a quarter of Monday night’s game, but the relentless Red Storm attack eventually found the cage and Scarborough rolled to a 4-1 win at home to improve to 4-0. The Scots dropped to 2-2.
Not only is the Storm winning – that was to be expected with many players back from last season’s Class A state runner-up team – but it is steamrolling the opposition. All four wins have been by at least three goals. Scarborough has outscored opponents 24-2.
Bonny Eagle got excellent play from goalie Rebecca Coney and defender Sam Simmons, who stayed near the cage to turn away shots. The two combined to stop 22 of Scarborough’s 26 shots.
“Sam Simmons had a tremendous game today,” said Bonny Eagle coach Caterina Riitano. “She did really well, helping out Rebecca and making defensive saves. She did an awesome job.
“I think we did a really good job at the beginning of the game, pressuring them. They didn’t score until the later part of the first half. I thought we did a really good job on defense, keeping it out of the goal.”
But the Scots could only withstand the unceasing barrage of shots for so long. With 14:46 to go in the first half, Brittany Ross, Scarborough’s senior stick handling wizard, weaved her way through the Bonny Eagle defense and finished with a diving shot into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead.
Less than four minutes later, Heather Carrier made it 2-0 off an assist from Ashley Anastasoff. That was the score at halftime.
Ross scored her second of the night on another nice individual effort with 21:38 left in the game. Five minutes later, Jackie Morin scored to make it 4-0. Bonny Eagle prevented the shutout as Peyton Dostie knocked one past Scarborough goalie Jordi Saunders (two saves) following a flurry of activity in front of the cage with 9:38 remaining.
“We can play better,” Ross said. “This was just an average game for us. We can play a lot better.”
That’s the scary thing. Scarborough scored four goals, but could have had twice that many were it not for an inspired defensive effort by the Scots, as well as some missed opportunities in close.
“They were marking really tight,” Ross said. “They did a good job.”
Scarborough is skilled at every position, and especially so up front. Opponents will play the Storm looking for the upset, but over the course of the game, Scarborough is able to simply wear teams down.
“It’s all about having 11 players out there,” said Scarborough coach Kerry Mariello. “I think we have the 11, and we have a strong bench. The conditioning definitely helps out. They can only play so hard for so long, which every team does. They seem to hold their own, but then start wearing down because we work them side-to-side, forward-back, making the passes we have to make. (Our players) understand that when they’re passing the ball, they’re making the defense work hard and are tiring them.”
The Storm could see some challenges this regular season, with a game at Sanford (which Scarborough has never beaten) and games against Cheverus and Gorham to close the season. But Mariello isn’t going to rely on opponents to test her players and prepare them for the postseason. The Storm is looking to dethrone Skowhegan, the eight-time defending Class A champion after falling just short in overtime a year ago. That’s what the team is working toward every day in practice.
“I always think our practices are going to be tougher than our games, so we’re going to put our best offense against our best defense,” Mariello said. “We’ve just got to continue working hard in practice. We want those big games, we want those big challenges, because we work so hard and we want it to pay off. I anticipate that we’ll do well in those big games because we have the leadership and the confidence and the drive to do so.”
Bonny Eagle defender Sam Simmons (5) turns away a scoring bid by Scarborough’s Heather Carrier from just in front of the cage during Monday night’s game in Scarborough.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino
Scarborough’s Ellie Morin (left) attempts to get past a Bonny Eagle defender during Monday night’s game in Scarborough.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino
Scarborough’s Brittany Ross weaves through the Bonny Eagle defense to score the first of her two goals in her team’s 4-1 win on Monday night at home.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino
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