WATERBORO – Coming off a flat, goalless draw with Bonny Eagle last Thursday that “felt like a loss,” Westbrook field hockey coach Beth Murphy stressed the importance of Monday’s matchup with 8-1-1 Massabesic in her pregame talk with her team. Against one of the other top teams in the SMAA, Murphy wanted a big performance.
It didn’t take long for her to get it.
Danielle Richards twice set up Sarah Hopkins for goals in the first 7:29 and the Blue Blazes held off a late Massabesic charge to beat the Mustangs 2-1 in Waterboro. The win was a big one for Westbrook (8-2-1), who moved past Massabesic into third in the Western Class A Heal Point standings.
“Huge win,” Murphy said. “It was all about points. Massabesic is worth a lot of points, they’ve got some key wins. These last couple games count. Hopefully, we’ll get out of a prelim game.”
Richards and Co. got Murphy’s message.
“We were all nervous because it was a big game and we wanted the third spot back,” Richards said. “We’ve been playing to our competitors lately, which is ‘meh.’ We knew we had to win today and it showed on the field.”
It showed just 4:07 in when Richards broke free in the Massabesic box, forcing Mustangs keeper Abby Greenleaf out of her net. Richards slid a pass to an open Hopkins that first got caught up in Greenleaf’s feet, but Hopkins was able to slide the ball past the keeper to set up a tap-in on the gaping net.
“I know Sarah Hopkins is always going to be there at the top and we knew the goalie was coming out fast, so passing it to the top is the smartest idea,” Richards said. “I just figured if I passed it flat Sarah would always be there to score it.”
Just three minutes later the duo were at it again. This time, Richards slipped past her defender and brought the ball on goal from the right side, forcing Greenleaf to again show. And again Richards slipped a flat pass across the grass for Hopkins to one-time into the open net to make it 2-0.
“The second one was very well assisted by Danielle Richards,” Hopkins said. “It came right across the goalie and it was very easy to hit in to the weak-side post. I had my stick down and ready to go.”
Being in the right place at the right time is a habit of Hopkins’, Murphy said.
“She’s my smartest kid out there, she just gets it,” the coach said of her senior forward. “She knows where to be at all times.”
After the second goal Massabesic coach Michele Martin-Moore called a timeout to settle her squad down, but Westbrook nearly had its third midway through the period when Ally Lemay’s shot was cleared off the line by Mustangs defender Sarah Cost.
The Mustangs finally got into gear late in the half and had two great chances to get one back in the final two minutes. First, Massabesic forward Jackie Guillemette pushed her shot just wide of the net at the 1:30 mark, and seconds later Blue Blazes defender Abby Leblanc preserved the two-goal lead when she cleared the ball off the goal line.
With just two subs due to a couple of players being out, Westbrook slowed down in the final minutes of both periods. Due to the weekend rain, the team also hadn’t played outside since the Bonny Eagle game four days before.
“Especially with the field being thicker because of the rain all weekend, it was really hard on your legs,” Richards said. “But we knew we had to win so we pulled through.”
Hopkins had similar sentiments.
“The running definitely caught up with me,” she said. “We knew it was basically the mindset of, push through it no matter what.”
After using halftime to rest up, the Blue Blazes worked hard to protect their lead in the first 10 minutes of the second half, holding on to the ball and clogging the midfield. They nearly had the backbreaker at the 19:20 mark when Richards slapped her backhanded shot from the top of the box just wide of Greenleaf’s post.
Massabesic again started to come into the game more as the half progressed, and at the midway mark Abby Staples nearly had a goal off a scramble in front of the Westbrook net. But the ball was cleared, and the Blue Blazes also cleared away two penalty corners in the next few moments to keep it at 2-0.
The pressure finally paid off for the Mustangs with 10:30 to play when a turnover in the midfield created a three-on-one breakaway on the Westbrook net. Lone defender Kerigan Demers challenged the in-possession Guillemette, but the Mustangs forward kept her cool and slipped a pass over to Hannah Patch for a shot that got by keeper Nicole Miranda.
It was one of the few times Guillemette was able to find time and space inside the Westbrook box, which was no coincidence.
“Guillemette is a tough player,” Murphy said. “She’s dangerous, she’s probably the best player in the league that I’ve seen. My kids knew to mark up in the circle and double team their best player and don’t let her attempt to get the ball.”
The Mustangs pressed for the equalizer as the clock ran down, and forced a penalty corner with five to go. But the clearly tiring Blue Blazes dug deep to clear the ball from the danger area and confidently strung out the last minutes for the 2-1 win.
“The kids played tough, they dug deep the last few minutes,” Murphy said. “We talked up about when you’re up what you do with the ball – you don’t need to make things too hurried. You want to try to hold the ball as much as you can and they’re finally getting that.”
The win moves Westbrook to 6-0-1 in their last seven games, and Patch’s goal was the first the Blue Blazes had conceded since a 2-0 loss to Gorham Sept. 7. With the regular season winding down and momentum on side, Westbrook looks poised for a deep postseason run.
But for a team that has been playing up to, but also sometimes down to, its competition, how far the Blue Blazes go could all come down to mindset.
“We’re building momentum,” Richards said. “But we always don’t want to get too cocky, just confident.”
Westbrook forward Sarah Hopkins slides her shot past Massabesic goalkeeper Abby Greenleaf for the Blue Blazes first goal just four minutes into the game. Hopkins would add another goal three minutes later as the Blue Blazes beat the Mustangs 2-1. (Staff photos by Cameron Dunbar)
Westbrook defender Julia Patrie and Massabesic forward Alex Staples try to be the first to the ball inside the Westbrook half late in the first half.
Massabesic forward Jackie Guillemette stickhandles the ball into the Westbrook half as Blue Blazes midfielder Kathryn Berry chases after her.
Westbrook defender Emily Blackmore tries to take the ball off Massabesic midfielder Kristin Lambert inside the Blue Blazes defensive half late in the first half.
Westbrook forward Micaela LeBeau tries to move the ball past Massabesic midfielder Bailey Ohman inside the Mustangs box.
Westbrook forward Danielle Richards slides a pass by onrushing Massabesic goalkeeper Abby Greenleaf seven minutes into the first half. Westbrook forward Sarah Hopkins would be on the other end of the pass to score the Blue Blazes’ second goal as they went on to beat the Mustangs 2-1.
Westbrook forward Ally Lemay looks for a pass inside the Massabesic box as Mustangs defender Kaelyn Kuni tries to stop her in the first half.
Westbrook midfielder Tori Winton and Massabesic midfielder Kristin Lambert go stick to stick late in the second half in a contest for possession inside the Blue Blazes’ half.
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