OAKLAND — Late in the first half Tuesday, when Messalonskee already had its Eastern Class A field hockey quarterfinal in hand, Brunswick scored its first goal.
Messalonskee Coach Brenda Beckwith stood in disgust and bellowed, “Let’s not have that happen again.”
It didn’t. No. 2 Messalonskee scored four unanswered goals in the second half on the way to a 7-1 win over the seventh-seeded Dragons.
The Eagles (13-2-0) move on to the semifinals Saturday, where they will host No. 6 Lawrence (10-4-1) at 11 a.m.
Haley Shaw spoiled the shutout when she beat Messalonskee goalie Lexy Cole on a rebound with 16 seconds left in the half, making the score 3-1.
It was as close as the Dragons got, however, as the Eagles dominated the second half.
Brunswick finished the season 8-7-0.
“I liked how we came out ready to go,” Beckwith said. “We attacked, attacked, attacked. That was good to see.”
Junior Katie Bernatchez scored three second-half goals – two coming on penalty strokes – to lead the Eagles. Sophomore Kristy Bernatchez scored two goals and an assist as well. Ally DeLisle and Bri Warren also scored.
“We are so hungry,” DeLisle said. “We’ve come so close the last three years. We really want it this year.”
Indeed, the Eagles reached the regional final the last two seasons. Both games ended with a loss to Skowhegan, and the teams are again on a collision course.
No. 1 Skowhegan (14-0-0) hosts No. 8 Mt. Ararat (6-8-0) in a regional quarterfinal game today.
Messalonskee did plenty of things right Tuesday, Beckwith said, but a few mistakes and mental lapses prevented a complete-game performance.
“We passed extremely well (Tuesday) but we stopped communicating,” Beckwith said. “We made a few minor mistakes and we didn’t bring the ball out of the circle well. A team like Skowhegan will take advantage of that.”
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