YARMOUTH – Even the underclassmen understood what was at stake Tuesday.

“We haven’t lost at this field since I’ve been on the team,” North Yarmouth Academy junior goaltender Hayley Bright said.

And it was, indeed, an underclassman – a freshman, even – who made all the difference for No. 3 NYA in its Western Class C field hockey regional final game against Jay.

Katherine Millett fired the ball from the left side of the circle on a crossing feed with 57 seconds to play. The ball appeared to be headed wide, but glanced off the heel of Jay defender Emily Boivin and clacked the back of the cage behind keeper Sierra Loon, lifting the Panthers to a 1-0 win and their first Western regional crown since 1994.

“I don’t think we look at how it went in,” Millett said with a wide smile after the game. “The point is, it went in, that’s what matters.”

“We had a feeling,” NYA coach Julia Littlefield said. “With all of the upsets, and being at home, playing our turf field, it was huge for us.”

NYA (15-2) played the balance of the game with one substitute, and plays an up-tempo style consistent with its turf field. Yet the Panthers had more jump in their step in the second half than the No. 5 Tigers (12-5), who upset No. 1 Telstar less than one week ago.

“We’ve lost in the last minute three times this year,” Jay coach Jane DiPompo said. “We know we’re close, and we knew we’d be in every game all year.”

From the opening faceoff, the Tigers controlled the tempo. Jay raced the length of the field with ease, stretching the NYA defense and creating the best (and only) scoring opportunities between the teams. Jay outshot NYA 5-0 in the opening half, and earned three penalty corners to NYA’s two.

“We had some good pressure there,” DiPompo said, “and their goalie came up with some good saves.”

“We came out really slow,” Littlefield said. “It felt like we were in mud, we called a timeout, tried to get everyone together.”

The Panthers’ young team – only three seniors dotted the field – held tough, and Bright kept the ball out of the cage.

“If you get scored on in the first half, it brings your whole game down,” Bright said. “I have such a strong defense. They really saved the game for me.”

NYA controlled the game for most of the second half, playing more relaxed, more confident. The Panthers spent nearly 10 of the final 12 minutes of the game in the Tigers’ end.

NYA will face Dexter, which beat Stearns, 2-1, in the Class C state final on Saturday at Hampden Academy.