LISBON FALLS

The MPA high school field hockey playoffs are here, and three local teams are prepared to make a statement beginning today.

In Western Maine Class C, the big dogs this year reside in Lisbon and North Yarmouth Academy.

One might remember last year’s Western C semifinal, with the Greyhounds and Panthers going to penalty corners to decide things, with NYA coming out on top 1-0 en route to a fourth consecutive State Class C title game.

The Panthers slipped past Winthrop 1-0 to claim a third state title in that four-year time frame.

This year

Lisbon coach Julie Wescott gathered her Greyhounds during her squad’s first preseason practice. She felt this was the year for Lisbon, with the goal to earn homefield advantage in the Western C postseason.

Mission accomplished!

The 13-0-1 Greyhounds, the lone blemish a 1-1 tie with 12- 1-1 Winthrop during the Mountain Valley Conference season, edged past NYA by a mere .1276 of a point (105.7398-105.6122) to claim the top seed and will host eighthseeded Old Orchard Beach (3- 11) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

“We are pretty excited to be the number-one seed,” said Wescott. “We weren’t sure if we would be able to pull it off, but we did and have worked hard.”

Wescott feels last year’s playoff experience will benefit her team this time around.

“We did have a close game with NYA last year, and any playoff experience you can get will only make you more playoff ready,” said Wescott. “They learned that little things can add up and make a difference.”

Lisbon is led offensively by Hanna Jordan’s 20 goals, with Arianna Kahler chipping in 12.

“Our scoring has been pretty spread out, with Sarah Craig picking up eight assists,” said Wescott. “Defensively, we have been good (Lisbon outscored opponents 51- 7), with sophomore Stevie Charest playing well in goal.”

Old Orchard Beach began the season with nine straight losses, but three straight victories, including a 2-1 Western Maine Conference win over Freeport, allowed the Seagulls to slip past St. Dom’s for the final playoff spot.

“I don’t know much about OOB, but if we do what we do, I am confident we will have success,” concluded Wescott.

Freeport-Traip

Freeport opened the season with a 3-0 loss to NYA, but rebounded to win five straight contests and seemed destined for a high seed.

But, the Falcons fell on hard times, finishing on an 0- 7-1 skid and falling to the No. 5 seed in Western C. In fact, after a 7-3 victory over Gray- New Gloucester on Sept. 14, Freeport scored just six goals in the final eight contests.

It was a 1-0 mid-September loss to No. 4 Traip Academy (8-5-1) that started the Freeport struggles, so the Falcons can right the wrongs on the same field in Kittery today (3:30 p.m.).

“It was hard to put a finger on it, but it was tough on us with the injuries and illness that we had, things that really put a strain on the team,” said Freeport coach Sara Dimick. “The first half of the season, we were scrappy in front of the net and everyone contributed. Second half, we lost that scrappiness.”

The good news for Freeport?

Other than a 5-1 loss in the rematch with the Panthers, the games have been tight, one-goal contests, with the Falcons allowing just 11 goals (16 if you count the NYA game) during the stretch.

A 3-2 loss to Traip in the regular-season finale gave Dimick and her squad a confident feeling.

“The girls are positive, and they played really hard, and even though the second time against Traip was a loss, they are confident, saying ‘the third time’s the charm,’” said Dimick. “This team has a lot of passion, and if they can dig deeper, they can come out on top against Traip.”

Olivia Bubar leads the Falcons with 10 goals and one assist, with Sydney Ambrose chipping in four goals and a helper. Defensively, Lauren Martin, Reilly Parker and Megan Peacock have been solid, along with goaltender Tallie Martin (Freeport allowed just 25 goals this year).

Kelly LaFountain’s hot Mt. Ararat Eagles are back in the playoffs. Mt. Ararat closed the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference season with five straight wins, holding those five opponents to a combined one goal while finishing 10-4 and claiming the No. 4 seed.

On Wednesday (3 p.m.) the Eagles will host a familiar opponent in No. 5 Lewiston, which finished 9-5. The teams split during the season, with the Blue Devils winning 2-0 at home and the Eagles taking a 4- 0 decision in Topsham on Oct. 2. Mt. Ararat outscored its opponents 24-21 this season.