GRAY — The momentum had shifted in the second half of Thursday’s Western Maine Conference high school field hockey game.

Visiting Freeport held a two-goal lead nine minutes into the frame, but it was Gray-New Gloucester forward Skye Conley’s goal off a pass from Jenny Holmquist that had the Patriots tilting the field in their favor, and the hosts kept coming, trying to draw within a goal.

Falcons coach Marcia Wood admitted that she was about to call a timeout when the game was halted to observe a moment of silence prior to the start of the Fryeburg Academy-Gray-New Gloucester girls’ soccer game on an adjacent field. The pause was to remember the tragic events of Sept. 28 — when a young man took his own life in the high school parking lot. 

When the field hockey game resumed, the Falcons took over and pinned the Patriots in their defensive zone throughout most of the remaining 19:39 to close out the 3-1 win.

“It was a tough break for us when the game stopped, mostly because it brings back a whole lot of memories of that day,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Corenna Dick said. “The second we had that break, the girls reenacted the whole situation that played out right in front of our field. When you think of those unfortunate events, it really slows things down.”

Wood felt her team needed to refocus, something the three-minute pause accomplished.

“The stop was perfect timing for us, because the momentum was shifting, and we needed something to break it,” Wood said.

Freeport received a goal each from Bailey Coffin, Olivia Bubar and Hannah Williams in building a 3-0 edge, and goaltender Morgan Karnes made two saves.

Wood was pleased to see her team put its hard work in practice to good use against the winless, but still battling Patriots.

“For us, it is always a mixed bag where we either start on fire or end on fire, and we have worked on trying to not play in bits and pieces,” said Wood.

Freeport leads

Though Freeport controlled the opening 15 minutes of play, the Falcons produced no shots on Gray-New Gloucester goaltender Adrianna Kimball.

Playing mostly on the right side of the field in the early going, a cross to the left found Coffin unmarked near the post. She calmly tapped a rebound past Kimball for the game’s first goal.

“I just wanted to be on the post in case the ball came there and it did,” said Coffin of her goal. “They forgot about me for just a second.”

“We needed a goal to get us going, and the beginning of the game was just ‘boring,’ and whoever scored that first goal was going to be the team that grabbed the momentum,” Wood said. “We have been working on going to the right, and Bailey was able to finish it when a pass came to the left.”

Freeport kept coming, getting a second goal just 2:29 later off the stick of Bubar for a 2-0 Falcons lead. Freeport held a 7-1 shot advantage in the opening frame, and the Falcons upped their advantage to 3-0 7:31 into the second half as Williams finished off a scramble in front of Kimball.

The Patriots struck right back as Conley’s shot slipped into the cage 1:03 after Williams’ goal.

Holmquist nearly scored moments later, with her shot rolling wide of the cage, and Karnes turned away Kelsey Pelton’s chance seconds after a restart.

“Playing the correct side of the field, they wanted it today, wanted that goal, and the intensity picked up,” said Dick, who feels her team is still giving her a solid effort every day despite an 0-12 record. “They have dedication to the team and every time they step on the field, they give it their all with hard work.

“We don’t look at anyone’s past history. We have three seniors and two juniors, the rest being sophomores and freshmen. They are going to be a good team.”

Freeport finished with a 17-3 shot advantage, with Kimball turning aside 14 shots. The Falcons held a 7-2 edge in penalty corners.

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