SKOWHEGAN – The Skowhegan field hockey team closed one chapter of a near-flawless 2022 season on Wednesday.
With a 3-0 victory over Messalonskee, the River Hawks (14-0) finished off an unblemished regular season and will enter the Class A North playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Skowhegan was also presented the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A championship plaque after the game.
“It’s amazing,” said Skowhegan junior forward Layla Conway.
“We know we have to work really hard,” added Skowhegan junior midfielder Laney LeBlanc. “It was just good to come back from last year and know that we have to play our best game, play with a great attitude and just play very well together.”
Messalonskee fell to 9-3.
The River Hawks have out-scored its opponents 90-2 this season. They have posted 13 shutouts; only Brewer scoring on them — and that came in a 7-2 loss on Sept. 13.
“In practice, we’re like, ‘defense wins games,’” LeBlanc said. “We just know we have to (get the ball) and get rid of it (to the opponent’s side of the field).”
“Every game we say, ‘If they don’t score, they don’t win,’” Conway said.
Skowhegan’s Elli Quinn, left, tries to convert a rebound as Messalonskee goalie Nealey Dillon goes for the save during a game Wednesday in Skowhegan. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
On Wednesday, three different scorers — Elli Quinn, LeBlanc and Conway — led the way for Skowhegan, which scored in each of the first three quarters. The River Hawks managed to keep the offensive pressure heavy on the Eagles throughout the game.
“Finishing this off gives us great confidence heading into playoffs,” Conway said. “I think we’re really pumped and we’re ready.”
Messalonskee had a better defensive effort Wednesday compared to its first meeting on Sept. 22, a 6-0 Skowhegan victory.
“Our goal was to sort of close the gap between the two teams, and I felt we very much did that (Wednesday),” Messalonskee head coach Katie Brann said. “I thought it was a much more even first half between the two teams. I’m just really proud of the improvement that we’ve made from the last game.”
The Eagles, who sit third in Class A North Heal points, got a tremendous game from goalkeeper Nealey Dillon, who turned away several tough shots to keep hee team in contention.
“She did amazing (Wednesday),” Brann said. “She’s really worked on staying up and expecting those rebound (shots) out of (Skowhegan), so she had a game plan going in and she executed on it.”
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