Emily Andrews tricks St. Dom’s past Telstar in Class C South quarterfinal

AUBURN — St. Dominic Academy field hockey coach Abigail Bowie knew No. 10 Telstar would give the No. 2 Saints a hard time Thursday.

Still, the Saints defeated the Rebels in a Class C South quarterfinal game, 3-1, behind freshman’s Emily Andrews hat trick.

“Telstar absolutely came out swinging and challenged us, and they played a really awesome game,” Bowie said. “The girls’ reaction can speak for itself, and I think we are really excited (to be moving on to the semifinals). I kept telling them not to take this game lightly because it could be very close, and it was. In typical Saints fashion, we kept it simple, and did what we needed to do.”

The Rebels (2-14) only scored 12 goals all season coming into the game, but Telstar coach Gail Wight said they were finding some success at the end of the regular season. Five of the 12 goals came in the previous three games.

“We have come a long way at the end of the season; we have been playing extremely well these last four games we had,” Wight said. “They have been playing well as a team, covering the team well. We had our opportunities, they just didn’t get in the net today. They have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Andrews opened the scoring for the Saints (12-1) early in the second quarter. Abby Mitchell received a pass off a penalty corner and then she made a pass to Andrews, who was near the net, to put the ball in the goal.

“I knew they moved the ball quick. They took their (shots) quick, and they have a real nice hard-drives coming into the circle off of deflections,” Wight said. “You don’t have the record that they do without running and being able to score.”

Midway through the second quarter, Andrews, inside the circle, ripped a shot past Rebels goalie E.B. Hoff (four saves) for a 2-0 lead for the Saints.

“She’s a freshman, and she’s definitely proving herself, getting out there and loving the game,” Bowie said.

Telstar scored its first goal off a corner. After the insert, the Rebels got the ball to Adeline Charette, who jammed the ball past Saints goalie Pilar Hewey (five saves).

Charette is an all-around player for the Rebels, according to Wight.

“She (plays) back and forth, playing center forward and center midfielder,” Wight said. “She’s been playing two different positions; she has done well to adept wherever we need her to play. She’s got good stick work and the smarts on what to do in the game.”

Bowie said giving up the goal was a wake-up call to the Saints.

“We did want to get (Hewey) another shutout, but having them score the one goal takes the pressure off of us,” Bowie said. “I think we played a little bit better after that. We (raised our game) and maintained that level.”

In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Andrews completed the hat trick to give St. Dom’s a 3-1 lead.

“It’s all about (getting a lead) so you can afford to make mistakes,” Bowie said. “If you get in a position when you can’t make mistakes, you get all frazzled and stressed out. That’s a tactic that we try to use (get a lead) and relax a little bit. ”

The Saints will host the No. 6 Lisbon in the Class C South semifinals.