BETHEL – When the Telstar field hockey team is clicking on all cylinders, it’s nearly impossible to stop. Old Orchard Beach had the unfortunate task Wednesday of facing such an attack.
Mallory Brown recorded a hat trick and Kayla Mills scored two goals and added two assists as top-ranked Telstar rolled to a 10-0 rout of No. 8 Old Orchard Beach in the Western Class C quarterfinals.
The Rebels, the defending state champions, won their 13th consecutive game.
Top-ranked Telstar (14-1) set the tone from the start, peppering the Seagulls goal with several quality shots. It was evident that it was only a matter of time before the Rebels would light up the new automated scoreboard.
“We have six different scorers, so it’s not as if teams can isolate on one player and shut us down,” Rebels coach Gail Wight said. “The girls were (deliberate) and had some good shots from just inside the circle, plus they positioned themselves in front of the OOB players and received the passes.”
Telstar was clearly more skilled at pushing the ball outside to the wings, and then quickly passing the ball back to the middle. Brown scored two of the first three goals after being setup on the left post, including the initial score 5 minutes, 29 seconds into the game. A shot by Brown had rolled across the crease, and Kayla Mills flicked a pass to Brown, who was left unmarked. Brown also knocked home a rebound off the pad of Seagulls goalie Kristi Geamout (22 saves).
“We needed to play our game,” Brown said. “We knew that we needed to start strong and execute with the ball, especially on corners. The team wanted a shutout, so we had to prevent them from getting the ball in the circle.”
Brown redirected in a Danna Wilson shot, and Kayla Mills fired in an advancing pass from Liz Rosenberg. The Rebels’ pressure kept Old Orchard (7-7-1) on its heels. The momentum was simply overwhelming.
Bailey Davis and fullback Jullian Kimball each drilled home goals, to give Telstar a 5-0 lead at halftime.
“We were actually nervous entering the game,” Kimball said. “We didn’t know anything about Old Orchard Beach, so we didn’t know what to expect. We can now look forward to Saturday’s game.”
The Rebels host a semifinal tilt Saturday afternoon against Sacopee Valley or Freeport.
Scoring goals in the second half were Chea Davis, Kayla Morin, Josie Reiss, Mills and Brown.
“The seniors don’t want the season to get over,” Rosenberg said. “So everyone stepped up and did their part.”
Telstar received solid play from halfback Kelsey Dole and from numerous underclassmen. Goalies Stephanie Tripp and Heather Gionet each played one half. Telstar held a 37-3 advantage in shots.
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