FREEPORT — During workouts this summer, Theresa Hendrix told her Cheverus High field hockey players that she believed they could get to the state championship game.
And here they are.
The top-seeded and unbeaten Stags got two goals from Taylor Tory and held on to defeat second-seeded Scarborough 2-1 Wednesday night in the Class A South championship game at Freeport High School’s Joan Benoit Samuelson Track and Field.
Cheverus (17-0) will play North champion Skowhegan (17-0) in the state final at Cony High in Augusta, the time to be determined. It will be the Stags’ second appearance in the championship game, the last in 2010 when they lost 3-0 to Skowhegan.
“My God, this is insane,” said Tory. “It’s unbelievable. It’s well deserved, 100 percent.”
Scarborough finished the season 16-2, with both losses to the Stags, including a 1-0 decision on Sept. 16. These teams bring out the best in each other, and that was certainly true in this game. It was fast-paced and highly skilled, with some outstanding efforts.
“It was a great game,” said Scarborough Coach Kerry Mariello. “Their midfield is super strong. The hits weren’t there and we couldn’t seem to thread that needle there. We struggled getting into that circle. But we did have those chances.”
Cheverus’ defense is often overlooked because the Stags have such a high-powered offense. On this day, the defense stood out.
“It was making sure we kept our sticks down and also marking in the circle,” said Cheverus senior defender Norah Slattery. “And we were communicating the entire game if there were girls open, and we did really well with that.”
It was scoreless at halftime. Then Tory struck during a scramble with 9:14 left in the third to give the Stags a 1-0 lead.
Just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Red Storm tied it. Daisy Stone’s hard drive from outside the circle was tipped by Lili Stone and went in near the right post.
The Stags quickly responded.
“I had faith in the girls,” said Hendrix. “And they really regrouped after Scarborough scored. I think that showed who they are. After (that score), they took their play to an even higher level.”
Freshman standout Lucy Johnson began the winning play by carrying the ball into the circle, where she cut to the left and unleashed a reverse hit that was stopped by Scarborough goalie Katie Roy. The rebound, however, went directly to an uncovered Tory, who didn’t miss the open net. Cheverus led 2-1 with 10:57 remaining.
“I was just running up, figuring this is going to come to me at any second,” said Tory. “And I just flicked it in.”
But, as Tory said, “it was always go, go, go,” and Scarborough would have one last chance – a shot from the top of the circle that just missed the right post with about 30 seconds remaining. When the final buzzer sounded, the Stags stormed the field in celebration.
And Hendrix’s faith in her team was rewarded.
“Since this summer, we knew this was going to be a special group of girls, in the way that they came to play every day,” she said. “I think it helped them out here tonight.”
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