PORTLAND — It didn’t take the scoreboard at the end to tell Kathy Little that something might be different about her St. Dom’s soccer team.

On Wednesday, her Saints won their first regional title with a 1-0 overtime win over Waynflete, but Little knew that something had changed long before Dayle Jordan punched in the winning shot.

“They had an amazing warmup,” said Little. “They were focused. They were calm. It was a different demeanor.”

The Saints were in the regional final last fall but was dispatched by a seasoned Sacopee Valley club. It was another year of progress for St. Dom’s, but it was also another heartbreaking ending.

“We’ve been to this spot, and we knew how it feels to be on the other end,” said senior midfielder Stephanie Costello, who has missed most of the season to a knee injury. “We knew we didn’t want to feel that way again.”

Now the Saints are playing for more. St. Dom’s plays Central in the Class C state championship at 3 p.m. at Hampden Academy.

“I’m excited to practice,” said Jordan, whose second goal of the season advanced the Saints to Saturday’s  final. “We aren’t done yet. We’re a force to be reckoned with on Saturday. I’m excited.”

It will be the first state game for both squads. It is an opportunity the Saints have been working towards for years, but it took a few stumbles amidst the steps forward.

In 2009, St. Dom’s won the MVC title and were poised for a playoff run, only to be bounced early by Sacopee Valley. The Saints reached the regional final last year for the first time ever but had to settle for second-best.

Last year’s disappointment prepared them and fueled their fire. They wanted another chance. Senor goalie Mary Caron says she was ready to do anything to keep the ball out of the net against the Flyers. She and the defense in front of her made good on that vow, blanking Waynflete for their seventh shutout of the season.

“We were so hungry for more,” Caron said. “We got this far last year and know what it was like, but we wanted to get further than that this time because it wasn’t enough.”

It wasn’t easy for the Saints to return to the final. Graduation losses were heavy. Costello was lost to a knee injury. The Saints had holes to fill and stumbled out of the gate at 2-2.

“Just from the beginning of the season,we had to play the hand that was dealt us this year,” said Little. “With Steph going down and Marley (Byrne) out for two weeks in the season, everybody has stepped up and played key roles. Even our bench has given some key minutes. Each game we’re progressively getting better and better.”

The Saints (14-3) still had to go through Lisbon, unbeaten Dirigo and Waynflete. All three wins were by one goal, the last two came in overtime.

“We had talked about last year,” said Little. “It was almost like we were satisfied with whatever the outcome was. This year, we were satisfied with the season but we wanted complete satisfaction of winning the game.”

Now the Saints take on a Central team that was No. 1 in Eastern C and are unbeaten at 16-0-1. It scored a whopping 90 goals in the regular season and allowed just nine. Only one team scored more than one goal and the defense posted five shutouts.

The Saints know they’re playing their best soccer. St. Dom’s has gone 12-1 since that 2-2 start and have allowed just nine goals in the last 17 games. Only one team scored more than one.

The Saints also have history on their side. The Class C state title has gone to the West eight straight times. An Eastern C club has only won it twice in the last 16 years, Searsport in 2002 and Madawaska in 1997.

It is St. Dom’s history that the Saints are focusing on now. Little says this team is truly special for what they’ve done, and a Saturday win could certainly confirm that in the ultimate way.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be going to states and to be going to that next level and to be going to the last game of the season,” said Costello. “It’s great to know you’ve made it as far as possible. We want to get that banner up in our gym and get that Gold Ball in our trophy case. It’s going to be a great feeling if it happens.”

kmills@sunjournal