TOPSHAM — When Brunswick and Mt. Ararat high school athletic teams square up, there’s a good chance a battle will break out. The two field hockey teams didn’t disappoint as the Eagles held off the Dragons for a 2-1 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win at Mt. Ararat Middle School on Tuesday.
Mt. Ararat improved to 4-1, while the Dragons fall to 1-3 in the early going. The two ‘Battle of the Bridge’ foes will face one another again in the final game of the regular season scheduled for Oct. 22 on Ryan Field at Bowdoin College.
“It’s always a battle, that’s the beauty of rivalries. It doesn’t matter what you do the rest of the season,” Mt. Ararat coach Krista Chase said. “These are two teams that play hard and want it and work really hard, that’s great field hockey right there.”
Brunswick head coach Carrie Sullivan agreed.
“They are a great team and we knew it was going to be a battle as they’re one of the better teams in our conference,” Sullivan said.
Wyley Fitzpatrick started the scoring early, beating Dragons goalie Liberty Krauss with an unassisted goal less than four minutes into the contest. Fitzpatrick smacked back-to-back-to-back shots on Krauss, finally hitting one past the keeper.
“I knew I had to get it, I had my teammates passing to me and I wasn’t not going to get it in,” Fitzpatrick said. “My teammates are the most important part, they work hard down there and hit it hard up for me to go get it.”
The Eagles continued to pressure Brunswick throughout the first half, winning the ball at midfield while using their speed and athleticism to put a total of eight shots on goal in the opening frame, with one more finding the back of the cage with 10:56 remaining.
Once again, Fitzpatrick was in the mix as the senior forward sprinted down the field ahead of the pack. After a shot on goal, Lily Koslosky picked up a rebound and slipped it in the corner for a 2-0 Eagles lead.
Brunswick began to put pressure on the Mt. Ararat defense, gaining more and more possessions of the ball at midfield and getting it to the circle for forwards Sara Scrapchansky and Gia Guernelli. The Dragons were denied any goals as Emma Lapreziosa turned away all five shots she faced in the opening half as the score stood at 2-0 heading into the halftime break.
Mt. Ararat’s Paige Witwicki volleys the ball as Brunswick’s Kristen Hummer pursues during Tuesday’s KVAC field hockey clash at Mt. Ararat Middle School. The Eagles came away with a 2-1 victory. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
The Eagles outshot Brunswick, 8-5 in the first 30 minutes.
Second half
Brunswick continued to use the late first half energy when coming out for the second.
“I think we finally settled in, we talked at halftime about making adjustments as we were down a couple of players today and were shifting people around,” Sullivan said.
Midway through the half, Brunswick put a goal on the scoreboard after the combination of Emma Lind and Lauren Jacobs teamed up to cut the deficit in half. Off to the right side of the cage, Jacobs drew the defense before drilling a shot to the far post, where Lind was there to put a stick on it for the score.
“That was a pretty goal. We work hard on our posts and it was nice to see one go in,” Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, Krauss and second-half goalie for the Eagles Lily Schenk kept it a one-goal game for the remainder of the game.
Krauss continued to turn away four more shots in the second half, including another Fitzpatrick break away.
“We do so much practice with one-on-ones I just do it. We train for this and I just want to go out there and do my job,” Krauss said. “Even as she came at me, I could see my defense coming down the sides to help so I knew they were coming back to support me.”
“Her confidence is there. There is nothing like one of their fastest players coming one-on-one at you, but she handled with confidence and poise,” Sullivan said about the senior goalie.
Meanwhile, Schenk was protecting the net at the other end of the field. With 10 minutes remaining, Kelsey Sullivan and Scrapchansky were coming in on the right side where the Eagles keeper left the cage to disrupt the play and maintain the one-goal lead.
“There were some moments where our goalies came up big today,” Chase said. “I am so proud of my two varsity goalies because they have a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences in their style of play. They are very equal, and both bring a lot to our team, our program and our defense.”
The Dragons were unable to find the equalizer as time expired.
Schenk finished with a pair of second-half saves, while Krauss ended with a total of 10 for the visitors.
Despite the loss, Krauss liked what she saw from her team in the second half.
“The score is decided in a split second and it’s my judgement versus their actions as it takes a short amount of time,” Krauss explained. “I’m really proud of the game we played in the second half. Our dynamic is so great, and our communication is great.”
Coach Sullivan was pleased as well.
“They were ready, they gave me their all and gave me their best,” the coach said about her team. “We need to tweak a few things, but I am very pleased with this game today.”
Brunswick travels to Bangor on Thursday (4 p.m.), while the Eagles travel to Lewiston on Thursday as well to take on the Blue Devils (4 p.m.)
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