Abbie Belanger of Brunswick, right, and Gracie Morrell of Mt. Ararat fight for the ball during a field hockey game Tuesday at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham. Eli Canfield/The Times Record

TOPSHAM— Yet again, the Mt. Ararat and Brunswick field hockey teams played a back-and-forth game that could have gone either way. 

And Wednesday’s game needed a little more time to decide. 

The Eagles topped the Dragons 2-1 on an overtime goal from Lily Koslosky, who chipped a shot over the left shoulder of goalie Hanna Wentworth (7 saves) to win it.

“Brunswick is a great opponent for us, we love playing them and have a lot of respect for them,” said Mt. Ararat head coach Krista Chase. “It was a fun battle.”

Earlier in the season, the Eagles got the best of the Dragons, 1-0, but it was another hard fought game that came down to the wire. 

Lily Witwicki scored the other goal for the Eagles, which came in the first half.

Senior Lauren Jacobs tied the game for Brunswick with just under four minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime.

“We’ve been playing Mt. Ararat for four years, and it’s always a really tough game,” said Jacobs, who will attend Assumption College (Worcester, Massachusetts) next fall. “It was really nice to go against them one last time.”

Kaeden Green of Brunswick, right, dribbles past Charlie Smith of Mt. Ararat during a field hockey game Tuesday at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham. Eli Canfield/The Times Record

The Eagles wore their ‘Drive Out Cancer’ pink uniforms. Usually they host a preseason tournament, but canceled it because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Both Class A programs came to play on defense, steering away shots in the circle. Mt. Ararat goalie Piper Cohen made some big saves in the second half. She finished with five saves.

For seniors, it was the final time facing off against girls they have known and competed with since a young age.

“I have played against these girls since I was in fourth grade,” said Mt. Ararat senior midfielder Hannah Huston. “My high school career going out on such a high note against our rivals is a great feeling.”

Brunswick head coach Carrie Sullivan wasn’t surprised with how the tight the game was played.

“Everything has changed this year, but our games against Mt. Ararat haven’t been any different,” Sullivan said. 

Both teams are used to playing on grass, but the rainy conditions Wednesday may have played a factor in how the game was played. 

In overtime, Brunswick had a great scoring opportunity to put the game away. Jacobs had the ball on a breakaway but was turned aside by Cohen. 

Leading up to the game-winning goal, Mt. Ararat stole the ball from the Dragons in the midfield and had a two-on-one break. 

Witwicki slapped the ball toward Koslosky, who made a quick move to the inside and chipped the ball into the back of the cage for the win.

“That was a great goal and a great play to force the fast break,” said Sullivan.

Lily Koslosky of Mt. Ararat, left, dribbles past Delia Braillard of Brunswick during a field hockey game Tuesday at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham. Eli Canfield/The Times Record

Added Chase: “We have practiced fast breaks like that in practice, so I’m happy it paid off.”

It was the first overtime game for the Eagles this fall.

“It was a really good experience for us to play an intense overtime game, especially with these guys,” Chase said.

As the season begins to come to a close, Jacobs had one thought when asked what she will remember most from this unprecedented season. 

“How close of a team we are this year. Not having a normal season has made us a really tight-knit team,” Jacobs said.