SCARBOROUGH — Thirteen proved to be a very lucky number for Scarborough High’s field hockey team Friday night.
Lili Stone stuffed in a rebound at the left post with 1:46 remaining on Scarborough’s 13th penalty corner of the game as the second-seeded Red Storm edged third-seeded Biddeford 2-1 in a Class A South semifinal at the Mitchell Sports Complex – stopping the Tigers’ winning streak at 13 games.
Scarborough did not get a shot on its previous 12 penalty corners.
“Corners are tough,” said Scarborough Coach Kerry Mariello. “You usually have to face the toughest defenders, and all eyes are on you and every step has to be executed perfectly. It’s always been a work in progress. It’s going to continue, and hopefully they come when it really, really matters most. Which it did.”
The victory sends Scarborough (16-1) to its first regional final since 2014, when it won the Class A state championship. The Red Storm will play Cheverus or Falmouth on Wednesday at Freeport High.
Biddeford, which won the last two Class A South titles (there was no tournament in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic), finished 14-3.
Scarborough has won 12 consecutive games since a 1-0 loss to Cheverus on Sept. 16. The Red Storm controlled play throughout, outshooting Biddeford 9-3 and holding a huge territorial advantage, evidenced by a 13-2 edge in penalty corners.
Scarborough’s defense, always a forte of Mariello’s clubs, never let Biddeford’s big scoring threats have any open space.
“They shut down our key players pretty well, which is very Mariello-esque,” said Biddeford Coach Caitlin Tremberth, who played for Mariello at Scarborough. “We learn from the best. They shut down our system.”
The Red Storm defenders knew who to mark, said senior back Lillian Finley. “We were stopping the drives,” she said. “We knew what we needed to do to win.”
Still, the Tigers led 1-0 after one quarter, on a rebound goal by Michaela Ouellette off a penalty corner with 3:14 remaining in the first. Scarborough tied it with 7:49 left in the second when a shot from the right by Ayden Harris trickled past Biddeford goalie Abby Nadeau, who got a piece of the shot.
And then the Red Storm kept surging, only to be turned back by Nadeau, who made seven saves, many of them in close. Penalty corner after penalty corner, Scarborough couldn’t convert. Until the end.
With just over two minutes remaining, the Red Storm received their 13th penalty corner. Daisy Stone inserted the ball to Finley, who got off a shot that was stopped by Nadeau. The ball bounced around and players swatted at it until Stone, stationed at the left post, knocked it in.
“It was just so emotional, it was just really scrappy,” said Stone, a senior forward. “We were just right in front of the goal and it just made it in. That goalie made an amazing save, and off the rebound I just was able to flip it in over two sticks.”
When the final seconds ticked off, Scarborough’s players ran onto the field in a tearful celebration that included Mariello.
“It’s just the playoffs,” said Mariello. “Semifinals, I always say it’s the toughest game of the playoffs, for sure. It’s just hard not to look forward.”
“It’s so emotional,” said Stone. “I can’t believe we’re going to regionals. This is such a great moment for our team. I really believe in us and think we’re going to do great.”
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