Jessica Allen slips in the game-winning goal with 1:54 left in the contest.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

BETHEL – The Mountain Valley field hockey team proved that team work and determination can yield positive results.

Senior inner Jessica Allen scored the winning goal with one minute and 54 seconds left in the game. The Falcons also benefited from the outstanding play of goalie Kim Clark to post a 1-0 MVC win over Telstar under sunny skies Wednesday afternoon.

The Falcons completed their first-ever season sweep of Telstar. Mountain Valley beat the Rebels, 1-0, in the season opener.

Clark, a freshman, turned in a phenomenal performance with 18 saves and stayed calm and collected in the face of a Rebel barrage. The Falcon defense, with Samm Johnson and Jen Kellogg and sweeper Erin Stearns, were certainly up to the task.

“This was certainly a big win for us,” Falcon coach Melissa Forbes said. “Kim was very busy in goal and I hope that our defense learned how important of a job they do for the team. Telstar had a strong defense and it really hindered our offense.”

Mountain Valley (8-4), ranked sixth in Class B, have home games left against Lisbon and Jay.

The Falcons got the ball in the circle and refused to be denied. Johnson passed the ball over to Allen who flicked the ball in to the middle of the cage. Telstar goalie Stephanie Tripp elected to stay back at the goal and Allen was able to get off an uncontested shot.

“It was off a penalty corner,” Johnson said. “The ball went around the horn. Nikki Demers had brought the ball in on the right, and when it came back out, she took the ball around to the other side. Nikki shot again and it came back out to my stick.”

Telstar (7-5), ranked fifth in the latest Western Heal Points, appear to be in a tailspin after losing its second game this week. In this game, the Rebels dominated the play behind a ball-control offense, led by Alanna Borst, Mallory Brown and Kayla Mills. Tar took 26 shots and had 10 penalty corners, but Clark was always stepping forward to to kick the ball away.

“The girls certainly dominated,” Telstar coach Gail Wight said. “They played strong and had numerous opportunities. It’s just hard to take because they took 26 shots and still couldn’t score.”

Mountain Valley had trouble advancing the ball past Rebel sweeper Ashley Stambolis. Earlier in the second half, the Falcons put the ball in the circle and Kaly Bernard fired a shot. The Rebels’ Jessie Farrington rotated back to clear the ball out of the crease.