The high school field hockey playoffs don’t start for another couple weeks, but Gorham and Cheverus gave a pretty good preview of what they might look like Monday.

In a tightly contested, evenly matched game, Gorham came away with a hard-earned 2-1 victory when midfielder Grace McGouldrick scored just 1:06 into overtime at Shea Field.

That capped a game in which both goalies – Jessica Dusseault of Gorham (11 saves) and Kat Kane of Cheverus (six saves) – were tested throughout, and both teams took turns controlling play and the skill level was extremely high.

“It absolutely was a great game,” said Gorham Coach Becky Manson-Rioux. “That’s the kind of game you need to play going into the playoffs.”

It was a big victory for Gorham, 8-2-2 and ranked seventh in Class A South entering the game. Cheverus, which was ranked fifth, dropped to 8-4.

“Today could have gone either way,” said Sally Cloutier, the first-year coach at Cheverus. “Somebody had to win and it wasn’t our day. I couldn’t ask for more from my kids.”

It came down to a penalty corner in overtime, something Cloutier said “is almost a given” for a talented offensive team.

Mary Adams inserted the ball from the right of the goal to Erin Esty at the top of the circle. Her shot was stopped by a defender but the ball went right to McGouldrick in front and … well, let her tell you:

“I wasn’t thinking too much,” she said. “I got the ball, looked up and saw the corner was open, and shot the ball. After that it was just amazing. One big happy ending.”

It was McGouldrick’s 10th goal of the year.

“She’s been tremendous all year,” said Manson-Rioux.

So, too, has Dusseault, a junior who is starting her first season in goal. Manson-Rioux said she averages 10 to 12 saves per game.

Dusseault said she’s “always nervous.” But she didn’t look it. “Having a team like this, knowing that I can trust them, knowing we can do this, is huge,” she said.

Dusseault made several point-blank saves and showed great quickness and footwork in getting to the ball.

The only shot she didn’t stop was a perfect play by the Stags off a corner midway through the second half. Carrie Hight inserted the ball, which was eventually passed to Sophia Pompeo on the right end line. Pompeo drove a hard pass into the middle, where Bella Booth redirected it through Dusseault’s pads with 14:50 left.

But it took Gorham just 1:36 to tie it when Grace DeWitt put in a rebound of a Jamie Juskiewicz shot.

“They came right back,” said Cloutier. “You’re always vulnerable just after scoring.”

Manson-Rioux said the Rams drew on similar games earlier this year when they were down a goal.

“They believe in themselves and I think that helps them be confident knowing they can come back,” she said.

“To be honest with you, we’ve struggled with Cheverus for the last couple of years. To come here and to prove, to ourselves but to everybody, that we are strong and come to play is important. We came to play 60 minutes. When we keep the intensity up for the whole game, we’re in it.”

Related Stories