The Gorham High field hockey team remained undefeated Saturday, shutting out Deering 4-0 in an SMAA game at Memorial Field.

“(Being undefeated) is amazing,” said Charlotte Smith, who had two assists. We have a ton of fun on and off the field, and I think that’s really important to our (success).”

Gorham (8-0) scored twice in the first half, then twice in the second.

Deering (4-3-1) was without two starters: Katy Cyr (broken finger) and Kaytlin DiBiase (quad).

“I knew we might struggle coming into this game (due to injuries and the opponent),” Deering Coach Liz Koharian said. “I think it’s a learning experience for us.”

Kayli Leavitt scored the first goal, with 8:50 remaining in the half.

From the left side, she whiffed on her first shot but stuck with the play to weave through a couple defenders and bury her second attempt.

“The first 10 minutes or so we started a little slower than normal and I had to take that timeout, give them a little pep talk,” said Gorham Coach Becky Manson-Rioux, “and they came out that much more intense and worked that much harder.

“That first goal was a huge boost for us.”

With 5:22 left in the half, Gorham went up 2-0 on a beautiful cross from Smith deep on the right side to Erin Esty on the left post.

Smith added another assist in the second half and drew praise from her coach for her overall play, earning what Manson-Rioux called the player of the game.

“Her ball control, she has such finesse, she can dodge several players,” said Manson-Rioux. “Great vision, her cutting … just unbelievable ability to move around and see the play before it’s actually there.”

“I felt that I played pretty well but I felt our team worked together really well,” said Smith. “Our communication was lacking in the beginning but once we got our first goal, it really got our momentum in the right direction.”

Deering did have opportunities.

The closest came with 10:40 remaining in the game. Rylie Turner moved through the Gorham defense and fired a hard shot that went just high, catching the netting.

Gorham outshot Deering 9-6.

“Unfortunately we just couldn’t connect with the ball,” said Koharian, “but overall I’m really pleased with the way we played because we need to be challenged like that. That’s how you grow.”

Andrea Stemm notched a pair of goals and Mary Adams added an assist for Gorham.