FREEPORT — Leavitt High was seeded fifth in the Class B South field hockey playoffs, but the Hornets always believed they were one of the top teams in the region.
They proved it this week. Two days after knocking off top-seeded York – the seven-time defending regional champion – the Hornets beat another high seed to earn a spot in the Class B state championship game.
Leavitt controlled the game defensively and got second-half goals from Maddie Morin and Eve Martineau to defeat No. 2 Cape Elizabeth 2-0 in the South final Wednesday at Freeport High.
Leavitt (15-3) will play Old Town on Saturday at Cony High in Augusta, time to be determined. The Hornets last played in the state final in 2012, when they defeated Belfast.
“We fought hard all season,” said Leavitt Coach Wanda Ward-MacLean. “We had a stretch where we lost 10 kids to COVID, not all on the varsity, but still, it’s a bunch of kids. And still, they kept battling through.
“This means a lot to this group of kids. Most of the seniors have played together since seventh grade and this was a goal way back then. So it’s extra special that they actually get to do it because, you know, not everybody does.”
Cape Elizabeth finished 13-3-1, playing in the regional final for the first time since 2000. The Capers simply could not get any offense going, putting only three shots on Leavitt goalie Paige DeMascio – two coming in the final minute.
“It was physical and it was tough to get the ball up the field,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Maura Bisogni. “This is our first playoff run like this in a while, so we were a little nervous at the start before we settled in.
“But they played well. They shut us down offensively.”
“They had their sticks low,” said Cape junior forward Grace Gray. “But I think our team played really well together and we’re just going to come back next year.”
It was scoreless at the half, with neither team able to establish anything offensively in the first two quarters. Finally, with 1:30 left in the third, Leavitt broke through.
Martineau began the play, pushing the ball into the circle. She passed to Ava Gardner, who worked into the middle and then touched the ball over to Morin at the left post. Morin, a freshman, simply swept the ball into the open corner, and the Hornets led 1-0.
Cape Elizabeth tried to rally in the fourth and forced a penalty corner with 4:20 remaining. Martineau, the flyer on Leavitt’s defensive corners, raced out to break up a pass at the top of the circle and clear the ball.
The Hornets then controlled play for most of the final four minutes. They earned two penalty corners, scoring on the second when Martineau took the inserted pass from Morin and whipped a low drive into the far corner with 54 seconds remaining.
“This is special,” said Martineau. “We’ve been working for this for a long time, since we were little.”
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