SCARBOROUGH – A matchup between two of the top field hockey teams in the state lived up to its billing Thursday night.

For close to 45 minutes, Biddeford and Scarborough engaged in a back-and-forth scoreless battle that saw the Tigers dominate field position in the first half, only for the Red Storm to get their share of chances in the second. In the end, though, Biddeford’s aggressiveness paid off.

Brooklyn Goff scored with 15:31 remaining to break a scoreless tie as the Tigers held on for a 1-0 over the Red Storm in what felt like a postseason matchup between two favorites in Class A South.

“We keep saying ‘persistency, persistency, be in the right place and do your role,’” Tremberth said. “If we stay spread out where we should be, it makes our lives a lot easier.”

With the win, Biddeford extended its unbeaten streak to 19 games.

With Biddeford swarming near the Scarborough net, Allen snuck through the Red Storm defense and fired a shot on goal. Red Storm goaltender Abby Roy deflected the shot, but Goff cleaned up Allen’s miss and was able to convert. Seeing her team finally capitalize one of the several scoring opportunities Biddeford had was a relief for head coach Caitlin Tremberth.

“It was like a breath of fresh air,” Tremberth said. “You could see we were playing with a fire. And I think our decision making got better after that goal.”

Biddeford (3-0) controlled field position for most of the first half, drawing six penalty corner plays, but weren’t able to convert on either thanks to Roy who had four saves in the opening stanza for the Red Storm.

The teams dialed up the intensity in the second half. Biddeford kept applying pressure on the offensive end, but Scarborough was able to manufacture some breakaway opportunities. With just over 15 minutes remaining, Allen made her way into the circle and Goff scored the winner.

“Honestly, at first I didn’t even think it went in,” Goff said. “We say ‘don’t let up’ so yes we got one in, but we can’t let up now because anything can happen. (The goal) was relieving, but it was also motivating to keep pushing on.”

Scarborough (2-1) drew three corner plays toward the end of the game, but came up short on each occasion.

For Scarborough, playing close to the level of the defending Class A champions was an encouraging sign for head coach Kerry Mariello.

“It’s a great experience for both teams I think to see what lies ahead,” Mariello said. “The caliber of skill throughout the league is so strong.  We played well, they played well. They got one, we had our chances, but it’s still early.”

Thursday night wasn’t the first close win for Biddeford this week. On Tuesday against Cheverus, the Tigers rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 with no time left. And Biddeford’s win Thursday night is a little extra sweet for Tremberth, who went to Scarborough High School and played for Mariello.

“It’s a good feeling,” Tremberth said. 

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