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CAPE ELIZABETH — After ringing the post with a shot in overtime, Anna McCarron didn’t see the moment as a missed opportunity. The Kennebunk senior saw it as the right shot, one she needed to take again as soon as possible.
“Hitting the pipe, I knew it was a good take, just a couple inches off,” McCarron said. “I wanted it again, and I did it. I got a good try.”
With the ball on her stick again, McCarron fired her shot to the upper left corner of the Cheverus net. This time it was true and gave the Rams a 13-12 victory in a Class A semifinal Wednesday at Hannaford Field.
“I had energy at the end of that game. I told my coaches in the huddle that I wanted the ball. Honestly, it was just the mental game. I had confidence. I knew I wanted that matchup,” McCarron said.
Top-seeded Kennebunk (14-1) will take on No. 2 Thornton Academy (14-2) at Deering’s Memorial Field for the Class A state title on Saturday. Cheverus, the fourth seed, ends the season at 13-4.
Cheverus never led, and trailed 11-8 when coach Will Tuttle called a timeout with 8:16 to play in the fourth quarter.
“We knew we would face some adversity there. We say, ‘Spark.’ It kind of reminds us, grounds us, tells us to be there for each other,” Tuttle said.
The Stags scored two quick goals to cut Kennebunk’s lead to 11-10. A McCarron goal made it 12-10 with 4:35 to play, but Brooke Brunelle pulled Cheverus within one with 3:18 remaining. With 1:41 to go, Brunelle scored again, her fifth goal of the game and third in the fourth quarter.
The Rams won the ensuing draw and held the ball for the final shot of regulation. Kennebunk already had scored twice in the final seconds of a quarter, with McCarron giving her team a 4-1 lead at the end of the first, and Camdyn Keenan (three goals) scoring as time expired in the first half for a 9-5 lead.
This time, the Cheverus defense held, sending the game to overtime.
The Rams won the draw to start overtime, something they struggled to do throughout the game.
“We weren’t winning the draws, so they had the ball. When we needed to win the draw, we won the draw,” Kennebunk coach Annie Barker said. “We know when we have the ball, we’re dangerous. We just didn’t have possession. We were on defense for probably two quarters, practically.”
McCarron said she knew the mental game would be key against a tough opponent.
“It’s playing the same game whether we’re up 10, down 10, or tie game. We always play the same,” McCarron said. “Honestly, I don’t care what the score is. I want to go out knowing I worked extraordinarily hard and played my best game.”
Barker called a timeout with 2:26 left in overtime to set up the winning possession.
“We just told them we needed the ball at all costs. You just have to grind it out, and they did. And fight, because that’s what it’s going to take,” Barker said.
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