Stags surge into state final

FRYEBURG—A year ago, Cheverus’ field hockey team lost in the Class A state final to Skowhegan.

Saturday, the Stags will get an opportunity to avenge that setback.

And if they do, they’ll bring home a championship trophy in the process.

Thursday evening at John H. Atwood Stadium on the campus of Fryeburg Academy, Cheverus, top-ranked and undefeated, completed their tour of dominance over Class A South, blanking third-seeded Biddeford in the regional final.

The Stags came out firing in the first quarter, but couldn’t solve Tigers senior goalie Cadence Goulet, who made a series of highlight reel saves.

Then, with 11:21 to go in the second period, Cheverus went on top to stay, courtesy the most prolific scorer in state history, junior Lucy Johnson, who tallied her 115th career goal, off a turnover.

Three minutes later, Johnson made it 116 goals, rebounding a shot from senior captain Mackenzie Cash.

Then, with 3:45 left, off a penalty corner, freshman sensation Caroline Rousseau, who has saved her best for the biggest games, scored from sophomore Joey Pompeo and the Stags held a commanding 3-0 halftime lead.

Biddeford held Cheverus in check for the entire third quarter, but as time expired, off a corner, Rousseau tapped home Cash’s shot to completely dash any lingering doubt.

Johnson then completed her hat trick with 10:12 to play, finishing a pass from her sister, senior standout Lily Johnson, and the Stags went on to a 5-0 vicotry.

Cheverus improved to 17-0, won the region for the third year in a row, ended Biddeford’s campaign at 12-5 and set up a compelling state final showdown against Skowhegan (16-1) Saturday at a time to be announced at Lewiston High School.

“This feels really good,” said Lucy Johnson. “We just focused on this one game and didn’t get ahead of ourselves. We made sure to work together.”

No doubt

Cheverus didn’t lose a game en route to the 2021 Class A state championship, the first in program history, then was undefeated throughout the 2022 campaign before getting upset by Skowhegan, 3-2, in the state game.

This year, the Stags were the clear favorite again and didn’t disappoint (see sidebar for links to previous stories). Cheverus dispatched its 14 regular season foes by a composite 84-3 margin, then blanked No. 8 Massabesic (3-0) in the quarterfinals before shutting down No. 4 Scarborough in Tuesday’s semifinals (7-0).

Biddeford, a perennial contender, went 10-4 in the regular season, then held off No. 6 Noble (1-0) in the quarterfinals before upsetting No. 2 Gorham, 2-1, in Tuesday’s semifinals.

Cheverus blanked host Biddeford, 6-0, back on Sept. 30. Cash, Lucy Johnson, Pompeo, freshman Sydney Brunelle, junior Zoey Radford and junior Sophia St. John all rattled the cage and sophomore goalie Ellie Skolnekovich made eight saves.

The teams had never played in the postseason.

Thursday, on a chilly evening (31 degrees at the start, dropping to 28 by game’s end), after Skolnekovich delivered a rousing rendition of the national anthem, the Stags left no doubt that they came to dominate.

Cheverus sophomore Joey Pompeo keeps the ball away from Biddeford junior Hannah Sonne-Loranger early in the Stags’ 5-0 victory Thursday. Hoffer photos.

Just over a minute into the contest, Lucy Johnson rushed in and fired a shot but was robbed by Goulet, who also saved a rebound bid from Lily Johnson.

Seconds later, Brunelle tried to open the scoring, but Goulet made the save, then she stopped a rebound bid from Radford.

On an ensuing corner, Pompeo missed just wide.

With 11:35 to go in the first period, Lucy Johnson set up St. John in optimal position, but again, Goulet made the stop.

Midway through the frame, Biddeford earned a penalty corner, but couldn’t generate a shot.

Goulet then kicked away a blast off the stick of Lucy Johnson, senior Mikayla Talbot missed just wide, then Lucy Johnson worked her way through five defenders before earning a corner, which saw Johnson fired a backhanded blast that hit the post.

Undaunted, Cheverus kept the pressure on in the second period and was rewarded.

First, the Tigers nearly struck first with 12:35 left in the half, when junior Hannah Sonne-Loranger set up freshman Cordelia Kane for a shot which eluded Skolnekovich, but glanced off the far post.

The Stags then returned to their attacking ways and with 11:21 on the clock, got the only goal they’d need, as Lucy Johnson pounced on a weak clear, went one-on-one with Goulet and fired a shot into the net.

“We were getting a little frustrated as a team, but we all stayed composed and we knew we’d get there,” Johnson said. “Once we got the first one in we kept it going and that’s what we usually do.”

“We’ve had situations this season where we didn’t score first, or we went three quarters without a goal and those situations helped us stay confident,” said Stags coach Theresa Arsenault.

After Cheverus senior captain Taylor Krieger broke up a rush by Tigers senior Riley Langevin, Johnson scored for a second time, off a corner.

Cash inserted the ball and it eventually came back to her. She attempted a shot which Goulet saved, but Johnson was there to bury the rebound to make it 2-0 with 8:16 to go before halftime.

“We practice corners a lot and we trust each other with the ball and that enables us to do really well,” Cash said.

With 3:45 on the clock, Rousseau got involved in the fun, scoring from Pompeo, to extend the lead to a more comfortable three goals.

“I was injured early in the season and this team is really good, so to be a part of this is unbelievable,” said Rousseau. “I tried not to think about everyone in the stands and just be present on the field and play my game.”

“Watching Caroline is amazing,” Cash said. “Her grit is incredible. She never gives up on the ball and when she gets it, she heads up the field with it and it’s great to watch.”

The Stags had a 13-3 advantage in shots on goal in the first half and took six corners to the Tigers’ two, but they weren’t content to sit on their lead.

Early in the second half, Lucy Johnson worked through the defense and had a good look, but was robbed one-on-one by Goulet.

Cheverus wouldn’t get another chance until time wound down and it earned a corner. Cash got the ball in and Pompeo first took a shot which Goulet saved. Cash then got the rebound, had a shot saved, fired again and Rousseau was waiting to tap it home for a 4-0 advantage.

Lucy Johnson then accounted for the final score with 10:12 to go, taking a pass from Lily Johnson and again finishing off a corner.

Cheverus senior Lily Johnson (8) hugs junior Lucy Johnson after one of Lucy Johnson’s three goals.

“Lucy won’t talk about herself, but she played her heart out today,” Arsenault said. “She did a lot in transition. We always have confidence with her in the circle, but she helped us have a lot of quick transitions too. I’m so proud of her effort today.”

Down the stretch, Skolnekovich saved one final Biddeford shot and at 8:53 p.m., the final horn sounded and Cheverus was able to celebrate its 5-0 triumph.

“It’s so exciting to go to states again,” Cash said. “It’s a whole new team with a different energy. We just focused on ourselves and we trust each other.”

“I don’t think at any point in that game did it feel like we were safe,” said Arsenault. “We had to keep working. Biddeford’s got a bunch of fast girls and they’re great when they get the momentum, so we had to keep up our defense. The defenders know how important their role is and they know they won’t get recognition, but that’s OK because they know it will make the team successful.

“Toward the end of the season, I wouldn’t say we were playing our best, but the girls knew what they had to do. They’re so coachable. They’re learning more and more every day. They’ve been bonding off the field and it shows on the field. It’s not one or two people getting the job done. It’s a team. We have a lot of key leaders, but everyone plays their role. I’m super-proud of them.”

The final stats were tilted in the Stags’ favor, as they had a 19-5 advantage in shots on cage, got five saves from Skolnekovich and took 11 corners to Biddeford’s seven, scoring on four of them.

“Passing to the left side worked on the corners because their fly and trail came to the right,” Lucy Johnson said. “We got the goalie to move and it worked well.”

Ahead of schedule

The Tigers got 14 saves from Goulet.

“She’s been such a rock for us,” said Biddeford coach Caitlin Tremberth. “I’m grateful for the four years she gave us and she’s going to do awesome at Franklin Pierce.”

Ultimately, Biddeford couldn’t keep Cheverus in check, which is an impossible task, considering it’s scored 99 goals in 17 games.

“You can’t hold them off,” Tremberth said. “I don’t think anybody can. Second half, we focused on us, not them and we got more opportunities.

“I think going into this season, we thought we were building. We lost a Miss Maine Finalist in Kiki Jackson and also Cece Keller, our 30-goal scorer. We only brought in four freshmen to the whole program. I’m happy to get to the regional final and the girls are too. Our season had to end eventually and it ends for everyone Saturday. We made it pretty far and that’s what I’m proud about. We’re so young. The whole team pretty much is coming back.”

Unfinished business

Cheverus’ captains receive the regional championship trophy in a postgame ceremony.

Not only did Cheverus drop an agonizing 3-2 decision to Skowhegan in last year’s state game, it also beat the River Hawks, 4-1, to win the 2021 state title and lost to Skowhegan in its first state game appearance back in 2010, 3-0.

Suffice it to say that the Stags have been laser focused on this rematch since walking off the field in defeat last November 5th and that nothing would be sweeter than to reach the pinnacle at Skowhegan’s expense.

“I can’t put into words how badly I want to win again,” said Cash. “We’ve worked so hard this season. I think we’ll put in all our effort Saturday and if we do, that’s enough for me.”

“It’s nice to see Skowhegan again,” said Lucy Johnson. “We’ll try our best to win. We have to play like we have every one of our playoff games. We just have to stay composed.”

“I’m so excited for Saturday, it’s crazy,” Rousseau said. “Not many freshmen get do this.”

“To play on the final day, I’m very proud of the girls and happy for them,” Arsenault added. “We haven’t really talked about (Skowhegan). We’ve talked about our opponents down here because we can’t overlook anyone in our conference. Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about Skowhegan and work on solidifying our defense knowing our offense will keep working hard and doing their job. We’ll talk a lot about playing together, trusting each other, hustling. We have a bunch of skill and those things bring us to that next spot.

“I’m excited to go back to states. It wasn’t an easy journey and I think that’s helped us improve every day. We’ll just keep building on the small details that have added to our success and keep the girls coming together.”