SOUTH BERWICK — Marin Smith recorded a hat trick and Marshwood advanced to the Class A South girls’ soccer championship game, cruising past Kennebunk 4-1 in a semifinal Friday afternoon.
Smith helped the fifth-seeded Hawks (14-3) build a 2-0 halftime lead, then added a pair of second-half goals to send Marshwood to the regional final Wednesday against Scarborough or Gorham.
“(Marin) has big contributions every game. She’s one of our most consistent players,” said Marshwood Coach Chelsea Watson.
Smith’s first goal came just under 10 minutes into the game.
“We’re always told to score early,” said Smith. “It’s going to give us more opportunities, it’s going to get us amped up for the rest of the game.”
Smith worked for good position in front of the net and collected a header in the box from Natalie DuBois. Smith fired a left-footed shot toward the lower right corner that got past diving Kennebunk keeper Kyra Schwartzman.
Just 33 seconds into the second half, Smith converted an over-the-top pass from Reagan Nichols to give Marshwood a 3-0 lead.
“That’s what we’ve been practicing, we’ve been practicing set plays,” said Smith. “Reagan is my go-to on those. She kicked it right over; she’s perfect at placing the ball, and I guess I’m always there for her.
“We’re kind of like a tag team.”
Smith’s final goal made it 4-1 with 17:55 remaining.
“(That was the turning point). Up until that point, had we scored and made it 3-2, I think all the pressure is on (Marshwood) and who knows what happens then,” said Kennebunk Coach John Dolan.
“(Smith) plays hard and creates opportunities for herself because of her hard work,” said Watson. “It paid off today. She had a great game. It couldn’t have happened to a better kid. She’s a great kid.”
Marshwood controlled the pace and was on the attack for the majority of the game.
“(We) played great possession ball. We’ve been working all week on driving the end line and looking for that pass back in the middle,” said Watson. “(We) did that exactly, it was like watching practice all over again.”
The Hawks outshot Kennebunk 26-6.
“(Marshwood) outplayed us, without question, so you tip your hat to them,” said Dolan.
Marshwood opened a 2-0 lead about five minutes before halftime when Molly Ferguson found the top half of the net.
As the No. 9 seed, Kennebunk (6-8-3) enjoyed a great postseason run, including a quarterfinal victory against top-ranked Windham, the two-time defending state champion.
“Nobody will ever take that away from us,” said Dolan. “It was a huge win for the program.
“I like to tell the girls: ‘It’s never the adversity that defines you, it’s your response to the challenge. The bar is no longer ‘just make playoffs.’ It’s ‘we’re in this game this year, let’s be in the next game next year.'”
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