FREEPORT — As summer gave way to fall once and for all Wednesday evening at the Joan Benoit Samuelson Track and Field, Freeport High School’s field hockey team found another gear
And what a gear it is. One which might just spark the Falcons on a deep playoff run.
Hosting Greely in the Western Maine Conference regular season finale on Senior Night, Freeport got off to a slow start and found itself down a goal in the fifth minute when Rangers junior Megan Beaulieu scored on a rebound.
That goal brought the Falcons to life and they drew even with 12:40 to play in the first half when sophomore Ally Randall rattled the cage.
The score was 1-1 at halftime, but as the second half began, an 80-degree day suddenly grew chilly as the autumn wind picked up, and with that as a background, Freeport caught fire and scored a breathtaking five goals.
With 27:03 to play, senior standout Alexa Koenig put her team ahead to stay. With 21:47 to go, senior Natalie Anderson doubled the lead. With 13:17 remaining, sophomore Amelia Farrin scored on a penalty corner.
Five minutes later, Koenig scored her second goal, off a corner, when she somehow backhanded the ball through the defense and into the cage.
Then, with 4:25 left, sophomore Autumn Golding scored to bring the curtain down on an emphatic 6-1 victory.
Freeport finished the regular season 11-2-1, its best record in 18 years, and ended Greely’s campaign at 10-4 in the process.
“Whenever we start scoring, we calm down, we start passing more and start feeling better,” said Koenig. “When we relax, we can do great things.”
Wednesday, on a quintessential New England evening (if you don’t like it, wait 10 minutes and it will change), the contest began under 74-degree skies (just four degrees cooler than the Aug. 30 meeting), but the elements changed dramatically at the half and so did the contest, as the Falcons pulled away to prevail.
The Rangers started fast and in the fifth minute, they earned a penalty corner. After a blast by senior Courtney Rog was saved by Freeport senior goalie Katelyn Rouleau, Beaulieu pounced on the rebound and sent the ball into the cage for a 1-0 lead with 25:31 to play in the first half.
That goal not only put Greely ahead, it also awakened a sleeping giant.
Freeport began to press for the equalizer and after a cross by senior Kerry Lefebvre was blocked by a defender, and after Koenig had a shot off a corner saved by Rangers sophomore goalie Cassie Ward, the Falcons got it.
After a Greely corner was cleared, Freeport transitioned to offense and the ball came to Randall in front of the goal and she put it into the cage to make it 1-1 with 12:40 left in the half.
Late in the half, Anderson took a pass from sophomore Aynslie Decker and was robbed in front by Ward and Koenig was denied off a corner, sending the game to the break still deadlocked at 1-1.
The Falcons had a 4-3 shots advantage in the first 30 minutes and took six penalty corners, but weren’t able to convert.
After the break, a chill wind began to howl and Freeport’s close calls began to turn into goals.
After Anderson missed just wide, Koenig put the Falcons ahead to stay, as she buried a shot from the top of the circle with 27:03 on the clock.
“The first half, we were really caught up in what could be,” Koenig said. “Them scoring first definitely set us back. At halftime, we talked about having fun. Once we settled down and started passing, it was like magic.
“I was at the top of the circle and I had a clear shot. I thought about driving it, but then I realized I wanted more control, so I aimed for the empty spot by the goalie and luckily it had enough force to get there.”
“Once we scored, we wanted to do it again,” said Anderson. “I wasn’t on my game tonight, so it felt so good to score.”
“Natalie missed a few in the first half,” Wood said. “She wanted to capitalize in the second half and she got one.”
The Falcons finished with an 11-4 advantage in shots on cage and a 13-2 edge in corners. Rouleau made three saves. The Rangers got five saves from Ward, but couldn’t respond to Freeport’s second half surge.
And now, everything the teams have done the past six weeks is put on the back burner, as they look ahead to the postseason.
Unlike many recent seasons, when York was the clear favorite, Class B South is wide-open and Freeport and Greely each believe they can go all the way to the state final Oct. 27 in Bangor.
The Rangers will be the No. 5 seed in the region and will visit No. 4 Lake Region (9-5) in next week’s quarterfinal.
The Falcons, after their best regular season since 2000 (the last time they played in a state final) finished third, their highest ranking since 2002. They will host No. 6 Poland (7-7) Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
Freeport blanked the visiting Knights, 4-0, Sept. 24. The teams have no playoff history.
“Last year totally snuck up on us and we didn’t have a level head going into postseason, so this time, we have to be ready for our first game,” Anderson said. “I can’t imagine a better team. I’m stoked we get a couple more weeks.”
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