Scarborough squeaks past Windham in the rain

BOX SCORE

Scarborough 7 Windham 6

W- 2 4- 6
S- 3 4- 7

First half
23:55 S Henderson (Stolz)
15:01 S Durgin (unassisted)
13:58 W Babb (unassisted)
13:42 W McCusker (unassisted)
27.7 S Stolz (free position)

Second half
22:05 W Black (free position)
19:14 W McCusker (free position)
16:40 S Bilodeau (free position)
14:19 W Babb (free position)
9:15 S Donovan (O’Brien)
7:09 S Bilodeau (free position)
5:50 W Babb (unassisted)
3:52 S Stolz (free position)

Goals:
W- Babb 3, McCusker 2, Black 1
S- Bilodeau, Stolz 2, Donovan, Durgin, Henderson 1

Assists:
S- O’Brien, Stolz 1

Draws (Windham, 10-5)
W- McCusker 9 of 14, Joly 1 of 1
S- Stolz 3 of 8, O’Brien 2 of 6, Bilodeau 0 of 1

Ground balls:
W- 26
S- 34

Turnovers:
W- 19
S- 18

Shots:
W- 17
S- 16

Shots on cage:
W- 12
S- 13

Saves:
W (Small) 6
S (Hess) 6

SCARBOROUGH—Any team can rise to the occasion on a sunny day when everything is going right.

But it takes a special group to overcame obstacles such as bad weather and a tenacious opponent and Tuesday evening at the Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex, the Scarborough girls’ lacrosse team continued to demonstrate that it is indeed special, as the Red Storm had to battle the rain and a talented, determined Windham foe to prevail in a game that came down to the final second.

Scarborough got off to a fast start behind goals from juniors Molly Henderson and Grace Durgin, but the Red Storm were then held scoreless for over 14 minutes and the Eagles tied it up behind goals from seniors Isabelle Babb and Sid McCusker.

In the final minute of the first half, Red Storm senior Darby Stolz (remember that name) converted a free position to put Scarborough on top at the break, but the home team was far from home free.

Early in the second half, senior Molly Black and McCusker converted free positions to give the Eagles their first lead, but senior Natalie Bilodeau tied it for Scarborough.

With 14:19 remaining, Windham went back on top on a Babb free position and the Eagles still held the lead with under 10 minutes to go, but the Red Storm refused to buckle and tied it on a goal from senior Meagan Donovan, then went ahead on a Bilodeau free position with 7:09 to play.

Babb tied the game again with 5:50 left, but as she did in the first half, Stolz scored the final goal of the second half, on a free position with 3:52 to play, and Scarborough held off a last-second Windham possession to prevail, 7-6.

Bilodeau and Stolz both scored twice as the Red Storm improved to 3-0 on the season, dropping the Eagles to 0-2 in the process.

“I think this shows we can dig deep,” said Scarborough coach Emily Field. “There were minutes where I wasn’t sure, but then I saw the switch flip and they pulled it together. That gives me confidence as we enter the tough part of our season.”

Chasing the favorites

Windham came agonizingly close to playing in the state final last spring, while the Red Storm enjoyed an amazing turnaround and also reached the regional final.

The Eagles dropped a 13-12 overtime decision to Falmouth in the Class A North Final and this year, opened with a 13-4 setback at reigning Class B champion Yarmouth.

The Red Storm improved from just one win in 2019 to 11 a year ago, but were no match for eventual champion Kennebunk, losing to the Rams in the Class A South Final, 13-2. This spring, Scarborough opened with a 16-0 home victory over Bonny Eagle, then held off host Thornton Academy, 10-8.

Last year, Scarborough won at Windham, 12-9.

This time around, on a rainy evening, there was little separation between the teams and it took all 50 minutes to settle matters.

Scarborough senior Natalie Bilodeau takes off with the ball as Windham senior Chloe Desmond defends early in the Red Storm’s 7-6 victory Tuesday in the rain. Hoffer photos.

Stolz won the opening draw and 65 seconds into the contest, she set up Henderson for a quick 1-0 lead.

The Eagles looked to answer, but Scarborough’s first-year goalie, senior Zoe Hess, denied Black.

At the other end, with 15:01 to go in the first half, Durgin scooped up a loose ball after a tipped pass and shot it past Windham sophomore goalie Riley Small for a two-goal advantage, but the Red Storm started struggling keeping possession of the ball and the Eagles answered.

With 13:58 remaining, Babb opened the scoring for Windham, finishing unassisted.

McCusker then won the ensuing draw, got the ball, raced in and 16 seconds later, scored unassisted to tie it, 2-2.

Both teams were then frustrated for a long time, as Hess twice robbed Babb and Small denied Stolz on the doorstep, but with 27.7 seconds left, Stolz earned a free position and buried it to make it 3-2 Scarborough at the half.

Four saves from Hess helped the hosts cling to a lead.

Scarborough senior Erin Bresnahan hounds Windham senior Molly Black as Red Storm senior Meagan Donovan enters the play.

The Eagles came out strong at the start of the second half and after Hess made a save on a McCusker shot, Black earned a free position and with 22:05 to play, she beat Hess to tie the score again.

After Small robbed Bilodeau, Windham took its first lead, 4-3, when McCusker scored on a free position with 19:14 on the clock.

Back came the Red Storm, as after she was robbed by Small again, Bilodeau earned a free position with 16:40 remaining and this time, she converted.

The Eagles took the lead right back with 14:19 to go, as Babb made a nice move to elude a defender, then finished.

Hess then kept the deficit at one by robbing Black.

“‘Z’ is killing it,” Stolz said. “I love my goalie. She’s done an amazing job stepping up this year. I’m excited to see how far she can bring us.”

Scarborough pressed for the equalizer and was initially stymied, as Small saved a pair of shots from Donovan, but with 9:15 on the clock, Donovan got the ball from junior Olivia O’Brien and tickled the twine to tie it, 5-5.

After a Windham yellow card, the Red Storm retook the lead on a Bilodeau free position, which featured a shot after a nice fake, with 7:09 to go.

The Eagles answered to tie it for the fifth and final time, when Babb scored unassisted with 5:50 showing to make it 6-6.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Red Storm were initially frustrated as Stolz shot hit the post, but with 3:52 remaining, she earned a free position and sent the ball past Small for a 7-6 advantage.

“I was just trying to move the goalie and find the back of the net,” Stolz said. “I knew I could put us ahead. I just tried not to over-think it.”

Out of a timeout, Windham tried to answer, but junior Ashley Clark hit the crossbar. After the teams traded turnovers, Bilodeau had a chance to ice it on a free position, but Small made the save.

That gave the Eagles one final chance and after advancing the ball to midfield, they called timeout with 4 seconds to go to try and set up a desperation shot.

Windham managed to get the ball in but never got it close enough to attempt the shot and the clock ran out and with it, Scarborough was able to celebrate its 7-6 victory.

Scarborough senior Darby Stolz (24) hugs senior goalie Zoe Hess at the final horn as Windham sophomore Mallory Muse leaves the field in dismay.

“I came in expecting a good game,” Stolz said. “I know how hard Windham plays. I loved how back-and-forth it was. It made for a great game. The rain makes it harder to catch and grip your stick, but I also like playing in the rain, so it was fine. We definitely have the grit and tenacity to come through when we need to. At the end, we knew we had to be composed and play the defense we know how to play.”

“We talked about composure and tight marks on the pass (at the end),” Field said. “It came down to composure and a belief in a situation like that. Windham’s fast, strong and good, so to grit this one out says a lot. It’s a team effort. It has to happen from the entire field. Collecting ground balls and making passes in the midfield.

“I think that rain for a lacrosse game is never great. Our pockets are susceptible to all kinds of unpredictable passes. I tell the girls to have the mentality that the tougher the obstacles to harness the power to come out in other ways. It was hard for both sides.”

Five different players scored for the Red Storm, as Bilodeau and Stolz both had two goals and Donovan, Durgin and Henderson added one apiece.

O’Brien and Stolz each had an assist.

Hess made six saves.

Scarborough had a 34-26 advantage in ground balls (Bilodeau had a game-high nine), a 13-12 edge in shots on cage and overcame 18 turnovers.

Windham got three goals from Babb, two from McCusker and one from Black.

Small made six saves.

Black and McCusker each had six ground balls, while freshman Grace Joly collected five.

The Eagles won 10 of 15 draws and had a 17-16 shots advantage. The Eagles committed 19 turnovers.

Picking up the intensity

Windham returns to action Saturday morning, when it hosts Portland.

Scarborough is idle until next Tuesday, when it plays at Gorham.

“Last year showed what we can do as a team and this year, that really pushes us,” said Stolz. “We still need to work on shooting and defense. I think everything can use improvement always.”

“We just need to string together 50 minutes,” said Field. “The grit and intensity they showed in the final five minutes tonight, they need to show for 50. I feel really good. I love the girls. They impress me every day. They look good in practice, then the games are tough, so to pull off those wins shows we can dig deep. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”