YORK — The York field hockey team’s push for playoff redemption started in fine fashion.

Abby Dickson scored three goals, Abigail Armlin and Olivia Coite also scored and the top-seeded Wildcats defeated No. 9 Morse 5-0 in a Class B South quarterfinal Thursday afternoon.

It was the first action for the Wildcats since Oct. 15. It didn’t take them long to find a rhythm.

“Our team motto right now is ‘Stay in the moment,’ “ Dickson said. “We’re focusing on just day by day, trying to go hard every day with everything we do so that we can get where we want to in the playoffs.”

There’s a reason for the dialed-in approach. York was the top seed last year after an undefeated regular season and had won seven straight regional titles, but got upset by Leavitt in the semifinals – a defeat that has served as motivation since.

“Last year when I left the field after that game, I was like ‘Next year’s going to be a different story,’” Armlin said. “And I think going into this, it’s definitely fueling me and the rest of the team that experienced that loss last year.”

The path to redemption started Thursday, and the Wildcats (14-1) were ready. Armlin got the ball in the circle and whacked a shot that skipped through the Morse defense and went to Coite, who beat goalie Lydia Brown for a 1-0 lead with 12:02 left in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Dickson got the rebound of a Brown save and roofed a shot for a 2-0 advantage with 6:20 to go.

The Wildcats were aggressive, with their transition game keeping the Shipbuilders (4-12) on their heels.

“We all want to play team defense from the forward line to the back line, and attack as quickly as possible,” Armlin said. “We all know what works when we get the ball on our stick.”

And yet the game was still in reach for Morse at halftime, thanks largely to Brown, who made 21 saves – 13 in the first half.

“I thought we played strong. I was impressed with the way that it wasn’t a one-sided game,” Morse Coach Kerri Reno said. “I think we were able to move the ball, and we gave them a run for their money.”

The Shipbuilders could only contain the Wildcats for so long, however. Dickson scored on a feed from Armlin with 8:32 left in the third, and Armlin made it 4-0 when she blistered a shot on a corner after receiving an insert from Hadley Cucco with 5:41 left in the quarter. Another Dickson goal in the fourth gave her a hat trick.

“I think we got better as the game went on,” York Coach Barb Marois said. “That goalie, I knew she would make the initial saves. It was about us trying to get to rebounds and capitalizing on those, and we were able to on a few.”

York next takes on No. 4 Leavitt, which beat No. 5 Yarmouth, 1-0.

“It’s like our do-over,” Marois said. “It’s another opportunity to try to go further than we did last time.”