While many folks have all but handed the Western Maine Class A field hockey title to the Scarborough Red Storm, the girls from Gorham High School aren’t planning to concede anything.

Sure, Scarborough, which knocked off Gorham 1-0 in last year’s semifinals, has nearly all its key players back from a team that nearly loosed Skowhegan’s stranglehold on the Class A crown (the Indians have won the past eight state championships) and have added some talented transfers to the mix, but the Rams, too, have a lot back.

Gorham’s talent and experience has come through thus far. The Rams, No. 1 in the Heal Point standings as of Wednesday, moved to a perfect 8-0 on Tuesday afternoon, topping Westbrook 2-0 on the road. The Blue Blazes dropped to 4-3.

“Everyone is already giving Scarborough the Western Maine title,” said Gorham’s Carly Perkins, who scored the second goal. “Hopefully we’ll show them up.”

First-year Gorham coach Becky Manson-Rioux said there are a lot of games left to be played, and she sees a handful of teams with the ability to win the regional championship, with her squad right up there.

“I think there are a few teams to beat,” Manson-Rioux. “It’s all going to come down to those last few games when we play (Scarborough), and we play Cheverus, and Cheverus plays Scarborough. I really think there’s a few top teams that can be really competitive.”

Gorham took a 1-0 lead just over 10 minutes in against Westbrook when Chelsea Black tucked in a goal inside the post. It came after a penalty corner that the Blazes were unable to clear and the ensuing flurry of activity in front of the goal.

“That’s what we’ve been working on it in practice, just getting it to the post,” Black said. “That’s what happened and I was there and just put it in.”

The score stood at 1-0 until halftime. Perkins scored an insurance goal with 18:20 left in the game, assisted by Hannah Prince and Kathryn Whitehead. She, too, was positioned on the side of the cage to sweep in the score.

“We worked a lot yesterday in practice on some shooting drills and getting the girls to just stick their stick in for a deflection and not swing at it,” Manson-Rioux said. “I think those drills helped us out for this game.”

The last time out, Westbrook fell 1-0 to Cheverus, which is also now 8-0. The Blazes put seven shots on goal against Gorham, but was unable to knock any in.

“We can’t find the cage,” said Westbrook coach Beth Murphy. “That’s been our battle the past few games. Our defense has been playing really well the past couple games, to hold Cheverus to one goal and even to hold these guys to two goals. They’ve got one of the top players in the state in Kayleigh (Ballantyne), and Hannah (Prince) sets things up. For some reason, though, we just can’t get down there and put the ball in the net.”

Lizzy Conley made 13 saves in goal for the Blazes, which held an 8-7 advantage on penalty corners (and a 6-3 edge in the first half).

Despite losing nine seniors from last year’s team that fell to Scarborough 2-1 in the Western Maine finals, Westbrook is in position to make a run at another playoff berth over the season’s final six games.

“We’ve got some games here that are going to mean something if we want to get into the tournament,” Murphy said. “I’m proud of this group. They dig deep. They don’t quit. They play the game all the way to the end.”

Just minutes after the loss to Gorham, Murphy already had the plan in place for the next day’s practice. “All offensive drills in practice tomorrow,” she said.

Gorham’s Kayleigh Ballantyne tries to get past Westbrook defender Ashlyn Bourgeois as teammate Hannah Prince trails the play during Tuesday’s field hockey game at Westbrook.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino

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