TOPSHAM

Friday’s “Battle of the Bridge” matchup between the Mt. Ararat High School and Brunswick field hockey sides was truly a battle.

Not on the scoreboard, but in the midfield, where each team drove down the field, blocked passes, sparked counter attacks and closed down ball-handlers. It was anybody’s game, but the Dragons came over the “Bridge” with a breakthrough in mind.

In the middle of a four-game road stint to begin the season, it was a game Brunswick needed. It was a game coach Karin Paquin craved. And, thanks to a game-winning goal from Hollie Imperato, it was a game Brunswick got, 2-1.

“This is a big win because last year, all we did was tie Mt. Ararat,” Paquin said. “It’s a ‘Green-Bridge Challenge’ game and we wanted bragging rights. It’s always a big rival game, and they wanted to come out here and show them what they’re made of.”

“It’s a good season-starter,” Imperato said of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win. “I think we played well against Mt. Blue the other day (4-0 loss) and we utilized our skills even more in this game. I think it’s a good start for the team and a good turnaround here for us.”

Imperato’s clincher came halfway through the second half, where each team knocked on the door a few times. It was a game-long struggle for the Dragons (1- 1) to break the final line of Mt. Ararat’s (1-1) defense, but the couple times they did, they made it count. Rosie White started with the ball on the right side of the circle, moving in traffic toward goal. When Imperato came charging in on the left, White dished her the ball and watched her fire a shot near-post past Haley Frizzle.

The shot cost Imperato her balance, but when she got back up from the grass, Brunswick had a 2-1 lead it didn’t give up.

“My teammates worked hard to get it down,” Imperato said. “I saw it coming across and I wanted it pretty bad, so I took the shot as hard as I could — that’s probably why I fell afterward. I just wanted to get one in, get my team ahead, and give us a cushion. I’m just happy I could do that for the team.”

The Eagles countered with three corners and three shots on Ainsley Harrower’s cage after that, but Brunswick never broke. A few clustered clearances down the end line proved vital.

“I think it was very evenly matched. It was a good battle,” Mt. Ararat coach Krista Chase said. “Could have gone either way. It was really fun. Don’t get me wrong, it never feels good to lose, but my girls did some really nice things. They also made some really serious mistakes and those are things we need to work out.”

All even

The first 30 minutes took on much of the same identity, with each side applying and defending pressure at an equal clip. The first few minutes belonged to the hosts, with Brunswick unable to get the ball out of its own half. But, sure enough, the Eagles managed only one shot with the possession and the very first counter the Dragons created resulted in a corner, then the opening score.

Maddie Wayne took a deflected shot and controlled the ball in traffic before finding Hannah Escoe on the other side of the cage. She fired again, and after the ball slowly rolled into the bottom right-hand corner, the score was 1-0. It was one of just four shots Brunswick mustered all afternoon.

In a similar counterattack sequence on the other side of the field, Mt. Ararat punched back nine minutes later. Ball handling from Kayleigh Temple on the end line forced Harrower out of her cage, and forward Wyley Fitzpatrick took advantage, gathering a pass and shooting on the empty net to even the score.

Unfortunately for Chase’s team, it too was one of just four total shots, and the last real threat the Eagles capitalized on.

“My message this entire season has been ‘we’ve got to score. We have got to focus on scoring.’ It’s just been something that has been lacking at Mt. Ararat field hockey. That being said, maybe I need to work us on defense a little bit, because we had some major breakdowns on defense today,” said Chase.

While not game-changing breakdowns, Paquin said Brunswick has plenty to work on as well. The battle in the midfield may have resulted in a win Friday, but ultimately, she wants more of the ball.

“What we need to do coming out of this game is really just go back to the basics,” Paquin said. “Working our triangles and working our quick passes and working on cutting to the ball. Getting rid of this back-and-forth play.”

Still, it was the type of game fit for a rivalry, and the type of game Brunswick didn’t win last season. More importantly, it was the type of game that is good for the game.

Chase, who is starting her third season on the Midcoast field hockey scene, says the sport is growing and improving in the area. A battle like Friday’s is proof.

“We’re doing a really good job of bringing up the level of play in this area,” Chase said. “We kind of worked together in the summer and it’s time we put field hockey on the map in Midcoast Maine because it hasn’t been. So, I’m pretty pleased with Brunswick, Mt. Ararat and some other teams.”

Brunswick 2,
Mt. Ararat 1

At Mt. Ararat High School
Brunswick — 1 1 — 2
Mt. Ararat — 1 0 — 1
Goals — (B) Hannah Escoe, Hollie
Imperato; (MtA) Wyley Fitzpatrick.
Assists —(B) Maddie Wayne, Rosie
White; (MtA) Kayleigh Temple.
Shots on goal — Brunswick 4, Mt.
Ararat 4.
Saves — (B) Ainsley Harrower 3;
(MtA) Haley Frizzle 2.
Penalty corners — Mt. Ararat 4,
Brunswick 3.
Records — Brunswick 1-1, Mt.
Ararat 1-1.
Up next for the Dragons — Today at
Cony, 4 p.m.
Up next for the Eagles — Today at
Oxford Hills, 6 p.m.