Though down a goal to visiting Kennebunk as the second half began, Gorham’s field hockey team had controlled play in the first 30 minutes Monday and just missed scoring several times. Eventually some of those chances had to find the back of the net.

Soon they did.

Emma Deans scored less than four minutes into the second half and midway through the period Corey Perkins put away the game-winner, as Gorham (12-1-0) topped Kennebunk (8-4-1), 2-1.

“It was a Monday game and we sat around all weekend because it was raining,” said Gorham’s Danielle Moody. “We came out a little slow, but we picked it up at the end, when we needed to.”

For much of the first half, the hosts kept the ball in their opponents’ end, but a number of shots went just wide and Kennebunk goalkeeper Brittany Weber turned back the rest.

Moody and her teammates broke up the occasional offensive rush from Kennebunk, but with 2:21 to go in the half, Katie Thompson slipped through

“I had one eye on the ball and one on the goalie,” the senior forward said, “and I was thinking, ‘If I mess this up, I’ll never forgive myself.'”

Thompson didn’t mess up. Instead, her shot from 10 yards out put her team ahead.

Gorham regrouped at halftime and quickly tied the score when Weber saved a shot by Megan Hamilton and Deans pounced on the rebound.

“It deflected off the goalie,” said Deans, “and I was just in the right place at the right time, and I hit it in.”

With the game deadlocked, both teams raised the intensity level and the action moved back and forth. With 11:34 remaining, Chanelle Hallsworth brought the ball up and got a shot off. Perkins was there to knock in the rebound for Gorham.

Kennebunk tried desperately to create some offense in the final few minutes, and the game wasn’t decided until Melissa Sanborn broke up a penalty corner as time expired.

“It was really intense,” Perkins said, “and it felt good to come back.”

Before their final regular season home game, the five Gorham seniors on the team – Moody, Sanborn, Laura Willette, Samantha Jones and Kristen Walls – were introduced.

“It was really sad,” said Moody. “I was really glad we won. I’ll always remember that.”

Gorham was scheduled to close out the season Tuesday at Massabesic. The squad will finish in the top tier of western Class A teams, and will likely host a quarterfinal match in the middle of next week.

“I feel excited and nervous and reasonably confident,” said Gorham coach Amber Hatch. “I’m anxious to see who we pull. There are some strong teams ranked lower than us.”