Watch: Duo’s chemistry helps Mt. Blue girls lacrosse win battle with Lewiston

LEWISTON — Mt. Blue’s dynamic offensive duo of Chloe Roberts and Alissa Butterfield led the Cougars to a 10-8 victory over Lewiston in a KVAC girls lacrosse matchup Saturday at Don Roux Field.

Roberts and Butterfield each scored three goals. Roberts also had four assists.

The two seniors equated their on-field chemistry to their friendship off the field.

Lewiston's Anna Courtemanche attempts to get close to the goal as Mt. Blue's Allie Casavant plays defense during Saturday’s game in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“I think our on-field chemistry comes mostly from our off-field chemistry, because Alissa’s my best friend, so we hang out a lot,” Roberts said. “When we are practicing, we put in work together off the field, and that reflects on the field a lot, and I think we’re a pretty tight-knit team as it is. A lot of our underclassmen are also really close friends, and I think we lead by example and they’re also going to learn to be like that as well and translate that chemistry onto the field.”

Lewiston senior attacker Madeline Cote also scored three goals.

Mt. Blue (4-4) took the lead in the first quarter with four goals by four players — Butterfield, Roberts, Lily Huntley and Alana Smith. Madeline Cote scored the lone Lewiston (1-4) goal of the period on a free position shot.

The Cougars’ scoring slowed down in the second period, while the Blue Devils battled back to tie the game 5-5 on a goal by Anna Courtemanche with 15 seconds remaining in the half.

Lewiston goalie Hannah Burleigh tallied six saves during the second quarter, and eight in the game.

“Hannah, she always goes out there with a smile on her face,” Lewiston coach Jeremy Finney said. “She’s been doing a great job seeing the ball, and I think, again, the confidence that she has allowed her to really put herself behind the ball and have big saves.”

The Cougars’ offense found its spark again during the third quarter, with, once again, four goals by four players. Grace Allen, Butterfield, Roberts and Bree Griffin each found the back of the net.

Lewiston’s Lauren Landry scored two quick back-to-back goals to keep the Blue Devils in line with the Cougars in the third quarter, which ended with Mt. Blue up 9-7.

“I think there was a point in the game where Mt. Blue shut down our driving, and that kind of took us out of our offense a little bit,” Finney said.

The final quarter was a battle between the goalkeepers, Burleigh for Lewiston and Evangeline Hutchins for Mt. Blue.

Finney called Saturday’s game a “show between goalies,” crediting both keepers for keeping the score competitive.

“Kudos to the Mt. Blue goalie,” Finney said. “Hannah was great, too, and it honestly may have been a 10-8 game, but it really was a goalie duel out there.

“They both they both stepped up, made huge saves when each team needed it, and I really think the goalies had a huge impact on this game.”

Hutchins finished the game with six saves, including two on key free position saves.

Mt. Blue took 17 shots on goal, while Lewiston shot 13.

“I’m proud that when we got behind, we didn’t get down on ourselves. We rallied behind each other, picked each other up, and were able to claw back, even it out and then eventually get one goal up,” Finney said. “But, credit to Mt. Blue, they hustled, they got those ground balls, they won that ground ball game, and that was really the biggest difference.”

The Cougars remain undefeated, and coach Liz LeClair said it was nice to be matched up with a team that gave Mt. Blue a fight on Saturday.

“At the start of our season, there weren’t super competitive games,” LeClair said. “So we love being matched up to a team that like gives us a fight. We were able to come from behind and win. And to start the season 4-0, of course, is really great, especially losing so many seniors last year. It’s really cool to see some of the younger players step up and play huge.”

LeClair also credited the Mt. Blue defense and its ability to work as a unit, especially in the second half.

“We talked about moving your feet, making sure your body is there, and applying that pressure I think helped us a bunch,” LeClair said. “They’re just so solid, and they’re really good at crashing and working as a unit.”