HAMPDEN, Maine — The Winslow High School Black Raiders will go on to challenge the Western Maine field hockey champs in the state championship for the first time since 2003 after overcoming No. 2 Dexter on Thursday.
But the Black Raiders scored on their seventh penalty corner of the first half with 52 seconds left and junior back Cierra Poulin’s goal proved to be the game-winner as Winslow triumphed 2-0.
Freshman forward Natalie Greene supplied the 16-0-1 Black Raiders with an important insurance goal just 4:49 into the second half off another penalty corner and junior goalie Delaney Wood came up with four saves on seven shots as Winslow registered its ninth shutout of the season.
Junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Paquin, whose 13 saves led Dexter to a 1-0 win over Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft in the semifinals, turned in another stellar performance with nine stops on 18 shots.
In addition to the 18-7 edge in shot attempts, Winslow had a 12-1 advantage in penalty corners. Winslow, loser to Foxcroft in last year’s Eastern Maine final, will play in its first state championship game since it lost to Greely of Cumberland Center in the 2003 Class B final after winning the state the previous three seasons.
The Black Raiders will take on the Western Maine champ on Saturday at Thomas College in Waterville.
Winslow had a decisive edge in play in the first half but had failed to convert on its first six penalty corners.
The seventh featured textbook precision and left Paquin with no chance to make the save.
Brooke Haskell inserted the corner to Sarah Wildes on the same side of the field and Wildes fed it right back to Haskell, whose pinpoint diagonal pass to the top of the circle enabled the unmarked Poulin to flip it into the exposed net.
“Brooke saw that I was open. The goalie dove out. I saw the open space at the far post,” Poulin said.
“It took us a while to figure out what would work on the penalty corners. We had to read the situation and adjust to it. That one worked,” Wildes said.
“That was a great way to end the first half, especially after we had dominated,” Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said.
Dexter coach Margaret Veazie said that goal took the wind of their sails “but our girls never gave up.”
Winslow extended the lead with a scrambly goal which saw the ball come off Wildes’ stick to Greene in front of the cage and she slotted it home.
“It was surprising. I was open and somebody hit it up to me and I just put it in,” Greene said.
“When things fall apart, we just try to send it in and hope for a tip or something,” Wildes said. “Natalie does a great job getting her stick on those and getting tips.”
Dexter standout Peyton Watson made a handful of dynamic runs, maneuvering around several defenders, and one of those nearly resulted in a goal as she broke in alone on Wood with 20:46 remaining in regulation.
But Wood charged off her line and got her pad on the shot.
“I saw it was a one-on-one but [Poulin] was coming back off my right side. So I said I had ball and came out to challenge her,” said Wood, who knew Poulin’s backtracking would prevent Watson from slicing across the front of the cage.
“They’re a very, very good team and they’re even better on [artificial turf] than they are on grass,” Veazie said. “They cut to the ball hard and we kept standing there waiting for the ball. But we’re a young team.”
Veazie praised Watson for “trying to carry the team on her back.”
Bourgoin said she was “incredibly pleased with how we played today.”