NORTH BERWICK — As the field hockey season progressed, Lucy Johnson sensed she was getting close.
Late in Monday’s regular-season finale, the moment arrived for the Cheverus High junior.
Johnson scored both goals in the Stags’ 2-0 victory at Noble, bringing her to 111 over three seasons and into a tie for the state’s all-time career scoring record, according to records kept by the Maine Field Hockey Association.
Johnson’s second goal, her 34th of the season, tied her with former St. Dominic standout Hannah Trottier-Braun, who set the career mark during a record-breaking 59-goal campaign in 2017.
“It’s definitely a good feeling, but I couldn’t have done it without anyone on my team,” Johnson said. “I have worked hard personally. … I was definitely thinking about it throughout the season, but I wasn’t necessarily keeping track.”
Theresa Arsenault was, but the Cheverus coach said she didn’t remind her star forward how many she needed.
“She’s somebody who works really hard, she’s passionate about field hockey,” said Arsenault, whose team heads into the playoffs at 14-0. “Just to see her get some of that recognition, it’s really exciting. We’re really happy for her.”
The game was scoreless through three quarters as goalie Trinity Valle and the resilient Noble (6-7) defense frustrated the Stags, but Cheverus broke through in the fourth. With 13:53 left in the game, Lily Johnson, Lucy’s sister, smacked a hard pass through the circle from the right side to her younger sister on the left, and Lucy Johnson one-timed a shot that Valle stopped, but that had just enough life on it to cross the line.
With 3:03 left to play, Johnson reached the milestone. Charlotte Miller took the insert on the Stags’ 12th corner, sent it left to Lily Johnson, and she again found Lucy Johnson in front for another shot that hit off of Valle’s pad and into the netting for a 2-0 lead.
“She’s awesome. … She contributes so much to the team,” Lily Johnson said. “She’s my sister, so it’s cool to (set her up). We work really well together.”
Playoff stats count toward the record, so Johnson’s next goal will have her standing alone. It will almost certainly come during a playoff game, as the Stags now turn their attention to the Class A tournament after a regular season in which they outscored teams 82-3.
It’s the third-straight year Cheverus goes into the playoffs undefeated. The Stags completed a perfect season in 2021, but lost in the state final last year to Skowhegan.
Lucy Johnson said there were lessons from last season about how quickly even a dominant season can end.
“It’s something that’s on all of our minds,” she said. “But I definitely think that our team is completely different this year, and we’re going to take it like a new round.”
The record is the same, but Arsenault said there’s a key difference. Last year’s story was about the goals scored, 140 of them. This year has been more about the goals against – or lack thereof.
“Our defense has come a long way,” Arsenault said. “It’s been one of our main focuses, and that’s really helped this team, knowing we might not net 10 goals and every second is important and every opportunity is important.”
That was the case Monday, as Cheverus was tested by a hard-nosed Knights team led by Valle, who was credited with 25 saves, and defenders Ella Anania, Julie St. Gelais and Sara Gerrato.
It came two games after Cheverus trailed 1-0 to Sanford, and three after Falmouth fought the Stags to a scoreless tie through three quarters.
“We want to be in every situation before the playoffs, and we’ve been in it,” Arsenault said. “That’s good, because it gives us that confidence of ‘we’ve been here before, we know how to handle this pressure.'”
The result was what the Knights needed as well. It’s been an up-and-down season for Noble, but if the team needed evidence it can compete with anyone awaiting in the postseason, Monday’s game provided it.
“The outcome came out pretty good for us, a lot better than we were expecting,” Valle said. “I think the confidence after this game is a lot higher up. … We know if we keep them that low, possibly, we can beat them.”
Noble Coach Josie Chadbourne said her team wasn’t afraid of the underdog status, and actually embraced it.
“I’m really proud of how they played,” she said. “When we reached that fourth quarter and they still hadn’t scored, (I said) ‘You guys are just working really hard.’ That’s what happens when you just keep doing the little things right. Good things will happen.”
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