SCARBOROUGH — It took a little longer than it should have, but the Cheverus field hockey team did just enough to earn a victory Thursday against Scarborough.
The Stags let a 2-0 lead slip away late in regulation but regrouped in overtime to beat the Red Storm, 3-2, on freshman Lily Johnson’s goal 45 seconds into the second extra session at Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex.
“Every time we come to Scarborough, it’s super-fun,” said Cheverus Coach Theresa Hendrix. “Scarborough’s always tough. We’re excited to have them in our bracket this year. The girls are appreciative to just come out here and play.”
The Stags, who beat South Portland 10-0 in their opener, looked for most of the game like a team with a game under its belt, while the Red Storm couldn’t generate an attack and did their best just to stay within hailing distance in their season opener.
After a scoreless first quarter, Cheverus went ahead with 9:48 left in the first half when Lucia Pompeo took a pass from Madisyn Durgin and fired the ball through a screen, past goalie Katie Roy.
Midway through the third quarter, the Stags doubled their advantage, as Grace Foster redirected a Durgin shot into the cage.
Scarborough only managed a single shot in the game’s first 56 minutes, but the Red Storm roared to life late.
With 3:04 remaining in regulation, Lili Stone scored with an assist from Stella Grondin to give Scarborough hope.
The Red Storm kept the pressure on, and off a penalty corner, Stone put in a rebound with 22 seconds remaining.
“I would have been OK losing 2-0, but to show that grit at the end and have the belief that we might do it is a great feeling for the girls,” said Scarborough Coach Kerry Mariello.
Cheverus controlled the first eight-minute overtime, but Pompeo and Mary Kate Murphy were robbed by Roy.
In the second OT, though, Cheverus finally finished if off.
Off the Stags’ 12th penalty corner, Johnson inserted the ball to Isabella Cloutier, whose shot was denied by Roy (12 saves). But the rebound came back to Johnson at the near post, and she tucked it home.
“The ball bounced off a Scarborough player’s stick and I tipped it in,” said Johnson. “I was really excited. We worked so hard, and to get that goal was just great. We stayed positive and we worked as a team. We didn’t give up.”
“We had to keep our confidence,” Hendrix said. “Hats off to Scarborough’s goalie. She was phenomenal, and they have one of the best defenses around. The girls kept pushing and we were in the right spot. Lily’s special. She’s been focused since the summer.”
The Red Storm have plenty to look forward to.
“It’s a commendable loss,” Mariello said. “The girls showed fight. We’ve learned a lot of lessons even though it was a loss. We have a young team and they’ll gain momentum from this game alone.”
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