SCARBOROUGH — Even after it was over, and long regular-season unbeaten streak for Scarborough a thing of the past, Cheverus senior Colleen Slattery still had trouble wrapping her mind around her team’s 2-1 field hockey victory Wednesday night.
“I’m in shock,” she said. “I don’t even believe we just won. I’m so proud of this team and what we’re going through this year, but I don’t even believe it right now.”
Cheverus (6-0) had jumped to a two-goal lead, gave one back just before halftime, then held on for dear life in a game that wasn’t even over when time expired. Cheverus still had to fend off one last post-horn penalty corner in order to secure its fifth one-goal victory in six games.
“It definitely got a little tough at points,” said Slattery, who along with classmate Abby Ford and junior Charlotte Noyes formed a defensive midfield line that continually frustrated Scarborough’s attack.
Outside of playoffs, the defending Class A state champion Red Storm (5-1) had not lost since 2010, a streak that reached 66 games on Monday.
On Wednesday, Cheverus jumped ahead 1-0 just shy of the seven-minute mark when senior Becca Archer dribbled down the left wing and fed freshman Sophia Pompeo, who carried the ball a bit farther before unleashing a shot that found the near corner.
It was Pompeo’s second goal of the season, after last week’s overtime winner in a 3-2 victory against Thornton Academy, also set up by Archer.
“There were some nerves, but we knew that we could handle this and we could beat them,” Pompeo said. “Or, if we worked hard enough, we could play at their level.”
Not quite five minutes later, Ford converted a penalty corner inserted by Hannah Abbott for a 2-0 lead.
It remained that way for another 16 minutes, until Scarborough junior Lily Nygren put away a ball that had been kicking around the goal mouth following a long drive from Ashley Levesque.
“We needed that goal,” said Scarborough coach Kerry Mariello. “It showed us we could hang with them.”
The Red Storm increased the pressure after halftime, but could not manage the equalizer despite four penalty corners (after earning only one in the first half). Cheverus finished with a 10-6 edge in shots on goal but found itself in clearing mode for much of the final 30 minutes.
“The whole second half was a lot of anxiety,” Ford said. “But we kept composed and didn’t let any goals. Everyone worked so hard.”
Sophomores Dierdre Sanborn (three saves) and Kat Kane (two) split time in the Cheverus net. Senior Alyssa Souza finished with eight saves for Scarborough.
“We looked like we petered out toward the end, and they dominated the second half,” said Cheverus coach Amy Ashley. “But I didn’t sub much. I figured toward the end, we were getting a little tired. I was hoping the adrenaline could take over.”
After the second of consecutive Scarborough penalty corners in the waning moments proved fruitless, the girls of Cheverus rushed the field and formed a joyous purple scrum.
“It’s the best feeling,” Ford said. “I didn’t expect it.”
Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or
Gjordan@pressherald.com
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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