BETHEL – Now, maybe Livermore Falls knows what Telstar usually feels like.
For years, the Rebels have been the scourge of Mountain Valley Conference field hockey. Even in its rare rebuilding seasons, Telstar, the two-time reigning regional champion, wears an unspoken target and consistently gets its opponents’ best effort.
With the Andies stealing most of the MVC thunder this fall, Telstar found the shoe on the other foot Monday afternoon. Or maybe it was a glass slipper. Whatever the case, it fit perfectly.
Whitney Mills scored her second goal of the game with 5:26 remaining in regulation, and Telstar warded off a furious flurry of penalty corners and free hits in the waning moments to derail Livermore Falls’ dream of an unbeaten season with a 2-1 victory.
“To beat an undefeated team is just a dream come true,” said Mills, who cashed in an assist from Bailey Davis to put the Rebels (6-3-1) on the board in the first half and redirected a shot by Caiti Shimamura for the game-winner.
Telstar, which defeated Livermore Falls in the 2005 Western Class C championship game, avenged a 5-4 loss to the Andies in last month’s season-opener.
Whitney McDaniel knotted the game 10 minutes in the second half for the Andies, who had a head-spinning number of opportunities to take the lead, and later, to send it into overtime.
Brianna Douglass made 20 saves for Telstar. Davis, Shimamura, Julia Stambolis and Tonie and Amber Morin led a defensive resistance that stared down 19 penalty corner opportunities.
The Andies (10-1) won two overtime games during their season-opening streak and were relentless in their pursuit to earn a few extra minutes on this overcast, blustery afternoon.
Davis and Amber Morin combined to disrupt a corner with two minutes remaining. Livermore Falls’ next dead-ball opportunity left Marjorie DeBrosky with a point-blank shot that trickled just wide right of the cage. Helaina Lake had one final chance to wreak havoc with a hit from the near sideline, but Telstar got a stick on Lake’s offering as time expired.
“We had plenty, plenty, plenty of chances,” said Livermore Falls coach Julia Parker. “We knew how much they improved since we played them the first time.”
Livermore Falls established the theme of the day with two corners and three quality shots in the first two minutes. Telstar, meanwhile, mustered only two shots against Sam Whiting through the entire first half, but one was enough to give the Rebels a 1-0 halftime lead. Mills struck with a back-hander at 12:41.
The Andies answered with two immediate bids for the equalizer. Shimamura read one of those tries perfectly in front of Douglass for a timely defensive save.
“Our goalie stepped up today. She’s only a sophomore,” said Telstar coach Gail Wight. “And even our forwards were playing great defense.”
McDaniel scored for Livermore Falls after Douglass smothered a shot by Lake.
Telstar went a while without a clean look at Whiting, but the Rebels’ next foray into the circle was the one that mattered most. Davis worked the ball to Shimamura after a free hit, and Mills later pounced on the loose ball in front of the right post.
“We wanted this so bad,” said Mills. “The playoffs are coming up. This will give us the confidence. Now we have to keep going.”
All is not lost for Livermore Falls. The Andies already have done enough to likely earn one of the top two seeds in the regional playoffs.
“It’s tough to win a game up here,” Parker said. “If we play them again, it will be on our field.”
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