SOUTH BERWICK — The Scarborough High field hockey team may not be as powerful offensively as a year ago, when it won the Class A state championship. But that doesn’t mean the Red Storm will be any easier to beat.
Scarborough shook off a slow first half with two goals in the second to beat Marshwood 2-0 in a Class A South opener Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a battle every game,” said Coach Kerry Mariello. “Every game.
“To come out with a win is enormous. It’s a great jump-start to our season.”
The Hawks, led by a strong effort from midfielder Hannah Costin, pushed Scarborough every bit of the way, especially in the first half. But Lily Nygren scored on a rebound with 17:48 remaining for the first goal, and Kristen Levesque scored from a scrum with 11:04 left.
“They capitalized on those two opportunities,” said Mariello. “And our defense is huge. They’re going to win games for us this season, and I knew that from the start.”
Scarborough’s defense was certainly impressive early on. Marshwood controlled the first half, holding a huge territorial advantage and getting four penalty corners. The Red Storm did not have a shot in the first half. But Scarborough’s defense, led by Emma Hall and goalie Alyssa Souza, held tough.
And then Scarborough took advantage of its only two scoring opportunities in the second half.
With just over 18 minutes left, the Red Storm were awarded their first penalty corner. Nygren inserted the ball from the left of the goal to Levesque, who tapped the ball into the circle and unleashed a hard drive. Goalie Shannon Giblin stopped it but the rebound went to an uncovered Nygren on the left. She settled the ball, then drove it into the net.
“That was unfortunate,” said Marshwood Coach Lisa Truesdale. “And it gave them that slight edge to keep it going.”
Levesque said she and Nygren “have a connection.”
“Yes,” said Nygren. “We read each other well. I know when she’s going to shoot.”
Marshwood was awarded a penalty corner with 16 minutes left, but Lucy Bogdanovich of Scarborough broke it up. That gave the Red Storm momentum again. And it led to the second goal. Cara Reynolds started the play from the left corner and the ball rolled to the front of the goal, where Levesque tapped it in.
It was a nice win for Scarborough, which practices and plays its home games on turf. Marshwood’s field is grass and, said Hall, “it took a little time for us to adjust to the grass. Once we did, we were able to stop their drives and get a handle on (the ball).”
Even though the Hawks lost, Truesdale was encouraged.
“I thought (our team) played a fantastic first half,” she said. “They were smart and everything they did in the first half, I had no complaints, except not scoring. Overall I’m not displeased.”
And the Red Storm came out with confidence in what they were doing, too.
“I think we proved a point by scoring the two goals, to show that we’re ready for the season and for any battles we’re going to get,” said Levesque.
Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:
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