RUMFORD – The Mountain Valley field hockey team demonstrated its grit and determination all season long, and the Falcons were put to the test again on Monday afternoon.
But the Falcons stepped up the pace in a Class B preliminary playoff game at wind-swept Hosmer Field.
Freshman wing Sara Martin pushed home a goal in the second half and Falcon goalie Kim Clark held steadfast down the stretch in a 1-0 win against Wells.
Mountain Valley switched to a defensive mode, as Jenni Hamann, Kristen Chenard and Maddy Aylward were each forced to clear shots out of the circle. Wells supplied consistent pressure, but Clark proved to be unwavering.
No. 7 Mountain Valley (9-6) advances to play No. 2 York in a quarterfinal playoff game today. The Falcons had won two games in 2004, so reaching the playoffs is a noteworthy accomplishment.
“We knew that we needed to step it up in the second half,” Martin said. “The first half hadn’t gone well, and it was important for this team to play another day.”
On the winning scoring drive, Katlin Drury intercepted a pass near the Warriors’ 25-yard line. Drury rushed forward and passed the ball to Bethany Tidswell, and Amanda Gallant redirected it to Martin. The defense rotated over, but Martin charged the left post and the ball flew past goalie Hallie Woods with 10:36 left.
“The front line carried the ball in,” Martin said. “The ball criss-crossed and it was passed over to me. I moved forward and I was lucky enough to be able to push the ball by Woods.”
Wells, which concluded its season at 5-10, refused to quit and continued to apply pressure. Kaleigh Chase and Bei Gilley each had quality shots, but Clark (10 saves) alertly rushed forward to cut down the angle.
“The Wells players were fast,” Mountain Valley coach Melissa Forbes said. “They were getting to the ball before us. So at halftime, I told the girls to be more aggressive and position themselves in front of the Wells players, instead of letting the balls go through.”
Wells held advantages in shots and in penalty corners, but was unable to finish. Mountain Valley called a timeout with 3:45 remaining and controlled the ball for two minutes.
Clark made two big saves during a flurry and fell on the ball. A penalty stroke went wide left.
“We picked up the pace in the second half,” Wells coach Jessica Bergeron said. “The ball was being brought up the middle, so we used a flat pass to get the ball out on the wings.”
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