PORTLAND—Now we know how Cheverus’ field hockey team will respond when it faces a deficit.

Like the champion the Stags are and hope to be again.

Wednesday afternoon at Shea Field, Cheverus, which ran roughshod over its first nine foes, outscoring them, 79-2, and never trailing, was staggered early by visiting Gorham, which took a 1-0 lead when junior Hannah Bickford struck late in the first quarter.

The Rams then nearly doubled their advantage early in the second period, but Stags senior captain Elle Cooney made the play of the game, a defensive save, to keep the deficit at one.

That awakened the Cheverus offense and sophomore sensation Lucy Johnson tied the game with 9:39 to go in the first half, weaving through the defense before finishing her latest highlight reel tally.

With just under four minutes go before the break, sophomore Sophia St. John scored on a rebound of a Johnson shot and the Stags were ahead to stay.

Johnson provided some breathing room with a goal early in the third quarter and with just 17 seconds left in the frame, she completed her hat trick to essentially put it out of reach.

A fourth period goal from junior Mackenzie Cash slammed the door and Cheverus went on to a 5-1 victory.

The Stags improved to 10-0, made it 32 consecutive victories and in the process, dropped valiant Gorham to 6-4-1.

“As a coach, you want your girls to face everything possible throughout the season,” said Cheverus coach Theresa Arsenault. “Gorham came out strong and played really good team field hockey. It was a great test for us and to see how the girls responded, I was really proud.”

A test passed

Cheverus opened the 2022 campaign by dominating visiting Thornton Academy (8-0), then continued to run roughshod over the opposition, beating host Windham (9-1), visiting Bonny Eagle (11-1), host Falmouth (9-0), visiting Kennebunk (10-0), host Marshwood (8-0) and visiting Portland/Deering (13-0). Back-to-back road tests then loomed and the Stags passed both with flying colors, winning at Scarborough (6-0) and at Biddeford (5-0).

Gorham started with tough losses to Scarborough (2-1, in double-overtime) and Thornton Academy (1-0), then turned around and defeated Windham (4-2), Bonny Eagle (8-0), Falmouth (1-0, in double-overtime) and Kennebunk (7-0). After a 1-1 tie with Marshwood, the Rams handled Portland/Deering (9-0) and South Portland/Westbrook (10-0) before falling to Biddeford Monday (1-0).

Last year, host Gorham gave the Stags a challenge, but Cheverus managed to prevail, 2-0.

Wednesday, on a wet and dreary afternoon (58 degrees at the start), the Stags found a way to wind up victorious yet again, but not without some anxious moments.

Cheverus nearly got the jump in the first minute of the game, when Johnson rushed in and fired a shot, but it was turned aside by Rams sophomore goalie Madison Tibbals.

Midway through the first period, the Stags earned a penalty corner and juniors Lily Johnson and Taylor Krieger put shots on goal, but Tibbals saved them both.

After Tibbals robbed Lucy Johnson in close, Gorham went on the attack and with 3:47 to go in the frame, Bickford fired a long shot that beat Cheverus senior goalie Logan LeFevre just inside the near post.

And stunningly, the Stags found themselves behind.

For the first time all season.

But they weren’t fazed.

“We just stayed positive and went with the flow when we fell behind,” Lucy Johnson said.

“Our girls are ready for whatever,” Arsenault said. “Whether we’re winning, losing or tied, we need to consistently play our game. We didn’t get flustered.”

After Lily Johnson missed just wide on a rush, the Rams took a one-goal lead to the second quarter.

Where Cheverus’ offense came to life.

First, Gorham nearly scored again, as senior Annie Cunningham fired out of a scrum. With LeFevre defending the near post, Cunningham’s shot appeared destined to rattle the cage just inside the far post, but at the last second, Cooney calmly swept the ball away.

“I was on the post and Logan was on the other post,” said Cooney. “It was right place, right time for me since the ball just came to me.”

Considering how prolific the Stags are on offense, their defense is often overlooked, but in this game, its contribution was critical to victory.

“I was cheering for Elle so hard on that play,” Lucy Johnson said. “I was so excited. It was so relieving to know we have support back there on defense.”

“It’s so great to watch our defense,” Arsenault said. “They don’t get the recognition, but they bring a whole new level and they deserve some.”

Then, with 9:39 left before halftime, Lucy Johnson embarked on another rush and this one ended happily. Johnson showed off her nonpareil dribbling skills, weaving through multiple defenders, before going one-on-one with Tibbals and beating her with a blast just inside the far post to make it 1-1.

“It’s very exciting to do that, but it’s also very helpful to know that I have teammates coming up with me,” said Johnson. “I’ve been playing for awhile and I’ve practiced that (move), but I know if a goalie or defender makes a save, my teammates will be there.”

Cheverus has had an abundance of individual standouts who have displayed breathtaking skills over the years, but in her very short time in a Stags uniform, Johnson is staking her claim as a player without peer.

“I love Lucy so much,” Cooney said. “You can tell how much she practices and how much passion she has for the sport.”

“Lucy takes every practice rep like it’s a game and it shows especially when she gets in the open field,” said Arsenault. “She has confidence and ability to navigate the field and she gets her teammates to move with her.”

Cheverus then went ahead to stay with 3:55 to go before the half, as Lucy Johnson managed to get a shot on goal that was saved by Tibbals, but St. John was waiting by the far post to bang home the rebound to make it 2-1, a lead the Stags would take to the break.

Cheverus enjoyed an 8-2 advantage in shots on frame and had four corners to the Rams’ one in the first half, but six saves from Tibbals kept the game close.

The Stags then got some breathing room with 11:27 to play in the third period, when Lucy Johnson scored for the second time, taking a pass from freshman Joey Pompeo on the break, then beating Tibbals to the near side.

Gorham then threatened to answer, but a save from LeFevre and another defensive save from senior Madeline Fowler left them frustrated.

After Lily Johnson missed just wide and Lucy Johnson had a shot saved, Cheverus unleashed a flurry of shots on Tibbals as the quarter wound down.

Tibbals was able to turn aside shots from Pompeo, St. John and sophomore Lillian Magda, but with 17.1 seconds remaining, Lucy Johnson steered home a rebound to complete her hat trick and make the score 4-1.

With 10:41 left in regulation, Cash rebounded a shot from Krieger off a corner to extend the lead further and Gorham wasn’t able to answer, as the Stags locked down defensively before going on to celebrate their 5-1 victory.

It’s fun knowing we can be down and can hype each other up to come back,” Lucy Johnson said.

“I’m glad we faced something like this before playoffs,” said Cooney. “We came back and created a very positive energy. Gorham’s a strong team, so I’m not surprised they came out like that. We did a good job holding them off.”

Cheverus out-shot Gorham, 17-5, got two saves from LeFevre, one apiece from Cooney and Fowler and took seven penalty corners to the Rams’ two.

Gorham got a dozen saves from Tibbals.

Gearing up

The playoffs are only a couple weeks away.

Gorham looks to bounce back Saturday at Sanford. The Rams then host Massabesic and go to Noble to close the regular season next week.

Cheverus, meanwhile, is back in action Saturday at Massabesic, then plays host to Noble and goes to Sanford before finishing up at home versus South Portland/Westbrook.

The Stags will then likely be the top seed in Class A South and will look to embark on another championship run.

“We still need to work hard on little things depending on the game and the type of team we play,” Cooney said. “I think our team energy and our team culture is very good going into playoffs.”

“We’ve talked about it how it doesn’t matter who we play, we just have to play our game,” said Arsenault. “We need to start from the get-go playing as a team and supporting each other on the field.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports

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