The sound was unmistakable and piercing: the joyful, united screams of two dozen teenage girls. It was a harmony crafted through long hours on the practice field, motivated by a shared goal of being the best.

There was a brief moment of hesitation between when the ball struck the back of the cage and when the cry began. But once the referee signaled the goal was good, nothing else could be heard.

The sound was not beautiful, per se, but what it represented was. The Scarborough High field hockey team was the new Class A state champion. In a battle of unbeatens, the Red Storm had come through in sudden-death overtime, avenging a loss under the same circumstances to Skowhegan a year ago, and ending the Indians’ eight-year reign as Maine’s top team.

With 4:44 remaining in the first overtime, Scarborough senior Ellie Morin deflected a free hit from classmate Heather Carrier past Skowhegan goalie Megan Hancock and into the back of the cage to give the Red Storm a 2-1 win and the school’s first-ever field hockey state championship on the turf at Yarmouth High School on Saturday evening.

At first it was unclear whether the deflection, slight as it was, took place. The Skowhegan side didn’t believe – or at least didn’t want to believe – it had. Were the ball not touched by a Scarborough player inside the circle, the goal would not have counted.

“It hit my stick,” Morin said. “I wasn’t sure if (the referee) was going to count it. But I was like, I tipped it. I knew I tipped it, so just please count.”

It did, and it proved the perfect end to a perfect season for Scarborough, which finished 18-0. Skowhegan, which defeated the Storm 2-1 in double overtime in last year’s state game, wrapped up at 17-1, its amazing state-title streak dating back to 2001 finally snapped.

If any one voice stood above the others in the aftermath, it was that of Brittany Ross, a Scarborough senior tri-captain, stickhandling wiz and emotional leader.

“Our team went crazy,” said Ross, who nearly won last year’s state championship in the second overtime on a shot that got past the goalie, but was turned away at the goal line by a defender, who sent it up field for the game winner the other way. “We’ve been working for this for so long, ever since my freshman year. There’s no greater feeling than this and we can share it all together. We can share it all together because we’re like a family.”

For more than 54 minutes, the Storm was held scoreless by the Indians, who had allowed just one goal all season prior to Saturday and none in the postseason. The Indians were clinging to a 1-0 lead, foiling numerous Scarborough penalty corners and keeping the Storm from getting many good looks in close.

But with 5:27 left in regulation, Ross got the equalizer, sliding a low shot past Hancock from about eight yards out.

“We knew what we had to do,” Ross said. “There was only five minutes left. We couldn’t lose. We’d worked so hard for this. I knew what I had to do and I just put it in. Their goalie plays out really far, so I knew I had to dodge around her. I just dodged around her and hit it in and hoped for the best.”

It was somewhat similar to the play Ross nearly won the game on a year ago when she slid a shot past Hancock’s dive. That time Makayla Hancock was backing up the play and made the stop. This time, there was only open cage.

Ross’ goal forced the game into 7-on-7 overtime, which set the stage for Morin’s dramatic tip-in.

“We work on corners and (deflections) all the time,” Morin said. “Our practices are long. They’re hard. We work hard non-stop. We deserve this more than anyone. We’ve worked so hard all season.”

“A lot of times we do these types of drills where you just get a piece of it with your stick,” said Scarborough coach Kerry Mariello. “That’s all you’ve got to do to redirect it in.”

After a scoreless and evenly played opening half, Skowhegan took the lead with 26:41 left in regulation on a goal by the only Hancock triplet not yet mentioned, Mallory, who scored the game-winning goal a year ago.

Scarborough ratcheted up the offensive pressure after falling behind, holding a 9-1 edge on penalty corners in the second half (Skowhegan had a 6-3 advantage in the first half), but the Indians’ back line was tough to crack.

“Their defense is fierce,” Mariello said. “You look at their statistics and there haven’t been a lot of goals going in their direction. To put two by them, hey we’ll take it.”

The Storm, with 13 seniors, used last year’s loss as a motivator to dethrone Skowhegan and win it all this time around.

“It completely helped us and motivated us more because we wanted to beat them more,” Morin said. “I think that because we all believe in each other, it really carried us through. We’re a really close team, so playing together is easy for us.”

Despite a bull’s eye on its back, Scarborough didn’t stumble along the way, winning every game by at least two goals up to the Western Maine championship, where it rallied to beat Cheverus 3-2. The Storm outscored its opponents 93-12 on the season.

“It’s a great feeling, but knowing that it’s the end and losing all these great players is tough,” Mariello said.

She admitted there was a bit of worry as the time ticked down and the Storm trailed, but it never overtook her confidence in the team’s ability to come out on top.

“There was definitely anxiousness, but a sense of belief,” she said. “We had to just hold in whatever emotions we may have had and worries we may have felt, and just pushed them to believe.”

Along with the overwhelming sound of cheers, the post-game celebration was a wild medley of tossed sticks, hugs, smiles and tears.

“There were so many emotions going through my head,” said Ross. “I just went crazy like we all did. There’s just no better feeling and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It feels amazing. I’m just so excited right now, words can’t describe it.”

They didn’t have to. The unified howl of victory said it all.

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