KENNEBUNK — Kennebunk girls’ lacrosse coach Annie Barker knew the Rams would have their hands full trying to contain Massabesic’s two dynamic scorers – Kenzy Ouellette and Skylar Renaud – in the Class A South final Wednesday afternoon.

But Barker developed a plan to do just that, with the help of a tremendous game from junior goalie Haley Moody.

Moody finished with nine saves, Tiernan Connor scored three goals and No. 1 Kennebunk erased an early deficit with five straight goals as the Rams defeated No. 2 Massabesic, 6-4, in a rematch of last year’s regional final.

The Rams avenged a 10-9 loss in the 2018 regional final.

“This entire year, my thought has been, ‘I want to get further than I did last year,’” Moody said. “(Last year) was heartbreaking, but to keep going and to have another day of practice feels amazing.”

Kennebunk will play defending state champion Falmouth (13-1) in the state final Saturday at Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Barker implemented a five-man zone and had two other defenders face-guard Ouellette and Renaud in an attempt to disrupt their rhythm. Kennebunk held Renaud scoreless and limited Ouellette to two goals, both in the first half.

Ouellette’s goals came on a pair of free-position plays to help Massabesic take a 3-1 lead with 16:43 left in the first half, but the Mustangs didn’t find the back of the net again until late in the game.

“(Moody’s) a really, really solid goalie who really understands the whole game,” Barker said. “She can see the play developing down the field to tell the defense what’s going to happen … Most goalies can’t do that.”

Kennebunk evened the score on goals from Danielle Gassman and Allie Wuerthner, then took the lead for good on Connor’s second goal, from just inside the circle with 1:42 left in the first half.

Weurthner’s goal from free position 1:57 into the second half made it 5-3.

After another big save from Moody on a shot from Emily Jacobs, Connor scored again with 20:53 remaining.

“Our defense gives me shots I can handle,” Moody said. “I think our defense is one of the best in the entire state, and knowing that I have them in front of me just gives me the confidence to do better.”

The score remained 6-3 for about 17 minutes. Massabesic twice had chances to cut into the lead on free-position plays, but Moody blocked both shot attempts.

“Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever played my best against Massabesic,” Moody said. “(The goals Massabesic scored in the first half) started to get to me, but the saves I made after that got me going, and I told myself ‘I can play well. It’s OK.’”

The Mustangs broke through with 3:56 remaining when Emily Jacobs scored to make it 6-4. After a Kennebunk turnover, Moody stopped a shot from Renaud in a scrum near the net. Barker then called a timeout with 2:48 left to set the Kennebunk offense, and the Rams held on the rest of the way.

“The beauty of this game is that when you play great teams, they make you pay for every mistake,” said Massabesic Coach Brooks Bowen. “Kennebunk is a great team. I wish them luck going forward.”

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