ORONO, Maine — Winslow High School field hockey coach Mary Beth Bourgoin told her Black Raiders to expect defending state Class B champ York to turn up the heat at the start of the second half. The game was tied 1-1 at half.
York did just that, receiving the go-ahead goal from senior forward Devon Datsis 7:17 into the half and Isabel Bretz scored what proved to be the game-winner with 8:02 remaining as York survived a late Ciera Poulin penalty stroke to win 3-2.
It was York’s 36th consecutive victory.
“It was a battle. Our girls played with a lot of heart and class,” said Bourgoin whose Raiders are the defending state Class C champs. “They had more speed than we did. That was the big difference.”
“They were the best team we’ve played, by far,” said Winslow senior goalie and Miss Maine Field Hockey finalist Delaney Wood, who turned in a superb 15-save performance to keep her Black Raiders in contention.
“(Wood) was awesome,” said York junior phenom and Duke University-bound midfielder Lily Posternak.
Posternak said her team didn’t play as well as they could have at the start of the game “but we stepped it up when we needed to.”
The dynamic Posternak, the possessor of tremendous stick skills and moves, opened the scoring in the first half off a penalty corner as she dribbled past a defender and Wood before depositing the ball in the open cage.
Poulin tied it off a penalty corner as Jessica Greeley slipped a pass over to her at the near post and she rolled a 10-yarder inside the short side past goalie Julianna Kiklis.
York generated pressure resulting in several penalty corners early in the second half but Wood made a number of great saves to keep them at bay.
Datsis gave the Wildcats a deserved lead when she busted down the right wing, had the ball hit a Winslow foot but continued on and pushed a 10-yarder inside the far post.
“The coaches tell us to keep playing (when the referees allow teams to play on if they maintain control of the ball rather than call an infraction) so I did,” said Datsis. “I was in too close to draw back (and shoot) so I made a push pass.”
Bretz expanded the lead off a penalty corner.
She inserted it to Pasternak at the top of the circle and raced the far post.
Pasternak passed it over to Alexandra Lawlor and Lawlor ripped it over to the far post where Bretz directed it in.
Winslow pressed to get back into the game and was awarded a penalty stroke when a York foot kept the ball out of the net.
Poulin snapped her stroke to Kiklis’ right.
Kiklis finished with three saves on seven shots while Wood’s 15 saves came off 24 shots.
York had an 18-5 edge in penalty corners.
“They were the most skilled team we’ve played,” said Datsis.