WESTBROOK – Sarah Hopkins scored with 16:14 left Wednesday to give fourth-seeded Westbrook a 1-0 victory against fifth-ranked Massabesic in a Western Class A field hockey quarterfinal.
In their regular-season meeting in Waterboro, Hopkins also scored both Westbrook goals in a 2-1 victory.
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Westbrook (11-2-2) advances to Saturday’s regional semifinal at No. 1 Scarborough.
“I think our seniors carried us today,” Westbrook Coach Beth Murphy said. “They stepped up to the plate and wanted to win. That’s what it came down to: Who’s going to score that goal? And in this game all it takes is one.”
A few minutes before Hopkins’ goal, Westbrook (14 shots) created a pair of multishot scrambles in front that Massabesic goalkeeper Abby Greenleaf was able to rebuff. Both times Greenleaf ended up prone on the ground, scrambling to keep the ball out.
“We didn’t want that to happen again, where the goalie was lying on the ball,” Hopkins said. “We were looking to get it in fast. (Emily) Blackmore had a great pass into the circle.”
Hopkins isn’t the flashiest of the Blue Blazes. In fact, Westbrook isn’t a flashy team. Blackmore and Tori Winton showed a consistent ability to drive the ball three-quarters of the field.
Danielle Richards and Micaela LeBeau effectively advanced the ball up the right sideline, especially in the second half, which helped negate a dangerous Massabesic forward, Jackie Guillemette, who was on the opposite side.
Murphy has identified Hopkins as her smartest on-field player. Massabesic Coach Michele Martin-Moore agreed.
“She knows how to read angles and that can’t be overstated. She is just a very bright, smart field hockey player,” Martin-Moore said.
“She’s one that I always have my eye on because she’s where she needs to be.”
Massabesic (10-4-1) had 18 penalty corners but generated only four shots on Westbrook goalkeeper Nicole Miranda.
The Mustangs’ best bids ended up in off-target shots. Alex Staples had a great rush just 1:30 into the game and pulled her shot wide left. Guillemette had a couple that just missed, including a shot as time expired in the first half off a penalty corner. And Logan Provencher sent a hard shot off the left post.
“I’ll give it to (Martin-Moore’s) kids, their stick skills, they can get it down the field,” Murphy said of Massabesic. “All those corners, luckily it came our way defensively. I’ll give our kids credit. They finished off on those corners.”
“If you look at the number of chances, I think it was pretty even,” Martin-Moore said. “We had more corners than they did but they had some good scoring chances when they were able to get the ball up the field.”
Staff Writer Steve Craig can be contacted at 791-6413 or at:
scraig@mainetoday.com
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