SCARBOROUGH – Kennebunk brought Scarborough’s three-year reign as the Class A girls’ lacrosse state champion to a halt Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Rams executed their plan to perfection to pull out a 9-7 victory against the top-seeded Red Storm in a Western Class A semifinal.

Kennebunk beat Scarborough for the first time since 2008 and will play for the regional title Wednesday at second-seeded Massabesic.

“The key was to possess the ball for most of the game,” Kennebunk Coach Annie Barker said. “We knew if we had the ball that their attack would be disrupted, and it was.”

Kennebunk (9-5) began to stall shortly after taking a 3-0 lead 12 minutes into the game.

“We knew if we could possess the ball we could burn some time off the clock and we knew we had the sticks to do it,” Barker said. “All week we’ve been talking about composure and staying in the game. We’ve been working on all that, and we’re doing it.”

Advertisement

The upset came a little more than two weeks after Scarborough beat the Rams 13-8.

“Their passing and catching was much better than the first time we played them,” Scarborough Coach Marcia Wood said. “They took great shots and they ran the stall well.”

The Rams led 5-4 at halftime.

“They came out and wanted it a little bit more, and (they) kind of took us by surprise with their intensity,” Wood said. “We didn’t adjust quick enough.”

The Rams were especially effective in holding the ball in the second half when Rose Bryant won seven consecutive center draws to regain possession following goals.

Kennebunk held the ball for nearly eight minutes after Bryant scored for a 9-6 lead with less than 10 minutes left.

Advertisement

Four freshmen — Jenny Bush, Olivia Sandford, Kyra Schwartzman and Carly Sandler — played pivotal roles in the stall.

“This was a team effort,” said Bryant, who has led the Rams in scoring the past three years. “I’m so proud of all of us. We talked of playing as a team and that was what we did.”

Allie Truman led the Rams with three goals. Haley Fecko scored two goals and had an assist. Schwartzman added two goals and Sandford had one.

For the Red Storm (9-5), Ainsley Jamieson had two goals and an assist. Maiti Kent and Avery Pietras each scored two goals. Bailey Adams also scored.

Kennebunk goalie Liz Stockbridge made six of her seven saves in the first half.

Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.