PORTLAND — It wasn’t until well after the final high-pressure game of a high-pressure season that Scarborough senior midfielder Mary Scott showed a sense of relief.
The Red Storm had held off Brunswick for an 11-9 victory in a back-and-forth Class A girls’ lacrosse final at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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It was the third straight state title for the Red Storm (15-1), who eked out a 13-11 win over the Dragons (14-2) in 2011. In 2010, Scarborough beat Mt. Ararat, 11-7.
None of that was lost on Scott. It wasn’t until the postgame ceremony, when she took her medal and held Coach Marcia Wood in a long, happy embrace, that the tension flowed away.
“There was so much pressure. This was the game,” Scott said. “Going for a three-peat, in a rematch from last year. We told ourselves, ‘We have to take it.’ We did it. It’s such an amazing feeling.
“Last year we were a young team. We had good talent but we figured next year is our year, but we ended up taking it. So this year we felt the pressure coming in. I can’t even believe we made it this far.”
Scott led the way with four goals. Two came right after a Scarborough timeout during a game-changing three-goal spurt in the second half that put the Red Storm ahead for good. She added two assists. Fellow seniors Laura Przybylowicz and Kelsey Howard each scored three goals, and Maggie Smith had three assists.
Brunswick goalie Molly Herman made five saves; Scarborough’s Meg Kirsch had three saves. The Red Storm outshot the Dragons 20-17 and held a 12-6 edge in draws.
Annie Kelly and Suzannah Smith scored three goals each for the Dragons, who were playing in their sixth state final in seven years. It was the last game for retiring coach Beth Caputi.
“The difference this year was the draw, and they were more effective in their stall and more patient in the end,” Caputi said. “That, and our inexperience hurt us.
“We hung in there. It was a great game between two really good teams.”
Kelly opened the scoring for Brunswick, but Scarborough scored four times in 3:05 for a 4-1 lead. Each team scored three straight before Kelly’s goal on a free position cut Scarborough’s lead to 7-5 at halftime.
Brunswick then scored the first three goals of the second half to take an 8-7 lead before Scarborough called a timeout.
“We took two deep breaths, relaxed, and we said we needed to play our game,” Wood said. “We learned to dig deep at the end and leave it all out on the field. We had to give it our all, and we did.”
Scott said her team drew from close games in the regular season, including one-goal wins over Cheverus, Kennebunk and Thornton Academy.
“It helped us learn to deal with (pressure) better,” she said. “I ran cross country and they say running is mostly mental. I didn’t realize how much lacrosse is, too. Everyone has to play really smart. You have to know when to shoot and when to pass. And everything has to come together as a team.”
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