Last year’s 3-2 loss to Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference rival and eventual state champion Gardiner in the Class B North field hockey final didn’t sit well with the Winslow High Black Raiders.
It left a bitter taste in their mouths and they were determined that it wasn’t going to happen again this season.
It didn’t.
The Raiders set a state championship game record by scoring seven goals to upend York 7-2 on Saturday afternoon at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.
Coach Mary Beth Bourgoin’s Black Raiders received two goals each from sisters Silver Clukey and Sage Clukey and they broke the game open with goals just 1:08 apart early in the second half by Taylor Rodriguez and Bodhi Littlefield.
Abigail Washburn also scored for Winslow (16-2), which won its first state title since claiming the Class C crown in 2014.
York, which was playing in its seventh straight Class B final, and its 14th in 16 years, wound up 17-1.
“The girls were very, very focused this season after losing in the Northern Maine final last year,” said Bourgoin, whose team scored 97 goals this season, including 24 in its four playoff victories.
Coach Nora Happny’s Wildcats went into the game having allowed just 14 goals in 17 games and had not given up more than two in any one game.
York had surrendered only one goal in its three Class B South playoff wins.
“The girls have scored a lot this season. We’ve been aggressive offensively,” Bourgoin said. “We changed our formation before the Belfast game [5-2 win in the B North final] and the girls really took to it.”
She explained that she implemented a diamond formation up front and it fueled their attack.
“Belfast and York weren’t ready for it,” Bourgoin said.
Silver Clukey and Wasburn opened the scoring with goals just 1:57 apart early in the first half before Sage Works cut the lead in half.
Sage Clukey restored the two-goal lead but Bailey Oliver answered and Winslow took a 3-2 lead into the intermission.
Bourgoin told her team during halftime to stick to the game plan and keep the pressure on the Wildcats and that is exactly what the Raiders did in the second half.
Rodriguez scored by converting a Silver Clukey rebound behind York goalie Katlyn Nowell just 3:48 into the second half and Littlefield supplied them with their biggest lead of the game by maneuvering cleverly in the penalty circle before beating Nowell with a well-placed shot.
The Clukey sisters capped the scoring.
Senior Leah Pelotte made 10 saves for Winslow and Nowell ended up with 19 stops for York.
Littlefield had two assists to go with her goal.
Bourgoin said she never expected her girls to explode for seven goals against York.
“Not at all. But I’m happy [we won],” Bourgoin said.