TOPSHAM — A little rain never hurts anybody, but it can certainly have an impact on a field hockey game.
That was on display on Thursday night when Mt. Ararat drew rival Brunswick 1-1 in a game in which goals came at a premium.
“Oh gosh yeah,” said Mt. Ararat head coach Krista Chase after the game when asked if she anticipated a close matchup. “Every time we play these guys (Brunswick) we know we’re going to have to work hard like we did tonight (Thursday).”
Paige Witwicki scored late in the first quarter to give Mt. Ararat an early 1-0 lead. Kelsey Sullivan of Brunswick tied things up at 1-1 midway through the third quarter.
Brunswick head coach Carrie Sullivan also anticipated a close matchup.
“When the bus driver dropped us off he asked how long the game would take,” Sullivan said. “We said usually around 90 minutes, but we always go to overtime when we play Mt. Ararat.”
The conditions, combined with the newly furnished turf field at Mt. Ararat High School kept the game fast-moving with a lot of action. Both sides struggled to keep hold of possession and found themselves running up and down the field for a majority of the game.
Both coaches don’t believe the rain played a major factor.
“No, it definitely didn’t,” Sullivan said. “It definitely made things a little more intense, but the outcome wouldn’t have been any different.”
Added Chase: “That was just two teams playing solid defense and having the urge and want to win.”
It was a hard-fought game for defenders.
“That was fun, the rain added to it,” said Mt. Ararat defender Megan Reed. “Everyone was working hard, we played a great team game tonight.”
Sullivan loved what she saw from her defense. The Dragons have allowed just two goals against through their first three games.
“They (the defense) were unbelievable tonight, I am so proud of them,” Sullivan said. “That should give us some confidence, we’ve been solid back there.”
Brunswick now sits at 2-0-1 in Class A North while Mt. Ararat is 1-1-1. The Eagles lost to Skowhegan 6-0 earlier this week. It was also the first game on the new turf for Mt. Ararat.
“I don’t think we really got to take it all in with the rain tonight,” Chase said. “It was nice, hopefully, next time the weather is better for us.”
Mt. Ararat goalie Piper Cohen made four saves in the cage, while Ahavah Burch of Brunswick had six.
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