PORTLAND—Most of the time, the powerhouse Cheverus field hockey team has its games locked up by halftime. Friday afternoon at Shea Field, the Stags, the reigning Class A state champion, didn’t have a single goal at the half and was getting all they could handle from the unheralded Sanford Spartans. But you can only hold Cheverus at bay for so long and 32 seconds into the second half, senior Zoey Radford broke the spell and broke the tie.
Sanford had its chances to answer, but thanks to a tremendous effort from a defensive unit and junior goalie Ellie Skolnekovich, who often aren’t forced to make the difference, the Stags managed to hold the Spartans off the board. Then, down the stretch, sophomores Sydney Brunelle and Caroline Rousseau added goals to put it away and Cheverus prevailed, 3-0. The Stags, who also got two assists from senior standout Lucy Johnson, improved to 5-0 on the season with their 51st consecutive regular season win and in the process, dropped Sanford to 3-1.
“It was anyone’s game today,” said Cheverus first-year coach Andrea Musante. “It’s good to be challenged. It’s important.
We learn more from being challenged like we were today.” The beat goes on Since the start of the 2021 season (which happened to coincide with the arrival of one Lucy Johnson), Cheverus has lost one game. One.
The 2022 Class A state final. The Stags avenged that setback in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Skowhegan and despite the departure of some standout players, .