BATH – Morse took advantage of 16 shots on goal, slipping five to the back of the cage for a 5-0 victory over Maranacook in high school field hockey action at McMann Field. 

Morse received goals from three different scorers, including a pair from Kim St. Pierre and Paige Willis in the season opener for both squads. 

“We had a great preseason and we wanted to come off the start of the season with a good showing and capitalize on the things that have been working well like passing and working well as a team,” Morse coach Kerri Reno said. 

For the first 10 minutes, each team got their legs under themselves, working off any nerves that they may have had. 

Morse gained possession of the ball early on, keeping Maranacook out its offensive zone. The ‘Builders nearly scored at just under the 20-minute mark when Willis centered the ball inside the circle, but it wasn’t handled cleaning and knocked wide of the cage. 

Soon after, St. Pierre blasted home a shot that beat Maranacook keeper Alyssa Pratt for the score. 

“I’m really excited to work with everyone this year so getting ahead in the game was important,” St. Pierre said. 

Midway through the half, Maranacook’s Abbie Jacques picked up a loose ball and fired a shot towards the net, but the attempt went wide. Jacques also had another chance when she took away the ball at midfield and sprinted down the sideline, only to be forced away from the circle by the Morse defense. 

“She has got some wheels on her, I try to keep her in the middle because when she gets outside and into the open field, she’s tough to catch,” Maranacook coach Ashley Work said.  

Macey Coffin tallied the next goal for the Shipbuilders after Willis centered one of her many balls to the front. Willis was rewarded with a goal of her own less than two minutes later when she picked up a loose ball. 

Morse finished the half out with more than a half dozen shots towards the net, but were either saved by Pratt, or turned away by sweeper Carolina Bachelder, keeping the score at 3-0 heading into the halftime break. 

“She saves our butt more than we can count,” Work said. “She talks a lot more this year and commands a lot from the back. She does her job very well.” 

“Because we have a lot of freshman, we are all getting used to each other and I think it’s really helping that we communicate and let each other know where we are on the field,” Bachelder said. “I am so excited to see all of us come together on defense like last year and really rely on each other where it’s more like family than team.” 

Morse outshot the visitors, 12-1 in the first half. Shipbuilder keeper Gracie Hawkes turned away the one shot she faced. 

Morse opened the half with the foot on the gas, scoring six minutes into the frame when Willis tapped in an Addy Jung pass for the score. As was the case in the first three scores, it was Morse’s passing that created the scoring opportunity. 

“It’s so refreshing to see this group of girls work together and be able to have girls come off the bench and keep that intensity up,” said Reno. “I am not a big fan of subbing because it sometimes changes the level of play but having that option of them keeping that level of intensity is great.” 

St. Pierre credited the team’s ability to pass as well. 

“Everyone on our team is good at passing the ball around,” said the senior. “Our communication is really good as it helps open up our offense and look for each other.” 

St. Pierre added the final goal minutes later, firing a shot from the top of the circle for Morse’s fifth and final goal. 

For Maranacook, they only managed one shot on goal in the second half, saved by Morse keeper Emily Myers, who replaced Hawkes at the break for her only save. Regardless, the Black Bears coach likes the play of her young team. 

“They have been working very hard. I have a young team this year, half of them are freshman. We’re all still learning to work together but I think we were working very well together out there today.” 

Morse will take the win but will now focus on the next game, Tuesday at home against Nokomis at 4 p.m.  

“You can tell the girls are having fun playing together,” Reno said. “They’re heads are up, they’re dribbling better, and I think we’re more confident in our stick skills. It’s taken a couple of years, but it’s all finally starting to come together. Feels good to get that win and hopefully we can keep that momentum going.” 

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.