The memory of last season’s end lingers for the Scarborough High field hockey players.

The program’s first-ever state championship berth. Facing powerhouse Skowhegan, the seven-time defending Class A state champs. Double overtime. A chance for victory turned away at the last possible moment. A resulting breakaway for Skowhegan. A quick score. Eight straight for Skowhegan. Shock and disappointment for the Red Storm.

“I personally don’t even like talking about it because it makes me mad,” said Scarborough senior forward Brittany Ross, who tallied 21 goals and 10 assists last season. “I just don’t like talking about it. When coach brings it up, I’m like, ‘Ahhh.'”

Scarborough opens regular season play on Sept. 4 at Portland. It returns all but four players from last year’s squad, which finished 16-2 and came within inches of dethroning Skowhegan. The Indians had rarely been challenged during their seven previous championships, having outscored their West opponent a combined 24-5 in those games.

Yet Skowhegan had its hands full against Scarborough. With the teams playing 7-on-7 in double OT of last November’s title matchup, Ross got off a clean shot past the dive of Indian goalie Megan Hancock. But Makayla Hancock was backing up the play, stopping the shot just short of the goal line and quickly passing up ahead to Mallory Hancock in the open field, who scored on a breakaway to lift Skowhegan to a 2-1 win.

The Hancock triplets are back this season for Skowhegan, which had just five seniors on last year’s team. It would be tough to call the Indians anything but the favorite to repeat. But, unlike in years past, the Indians could be feeling some real pressure in their bid for No. 9.

“Going into that game, if the opportunity is there, I think it’s going to be a whole different attitude,” said Scarborough coach Kerry Mariello, in her eighth season heading the program. “They’re going to be a little bit nervous, I think, for the first time because they’re going to know that we’re really here to play. And I think we’ll be there with a whole different train of thought.”

Mariello admitted there was a bit of an intimidation factor to overcome last season. Her team had already accomplished its goal – winning the Western Maine championship – and had nothing to lose against Skowhegan. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the Storm tied the game in the second half and pushed the Indians to the brink, also nearly scoring in the final seconds of the first overtime.

The players certainly haven’t gotten over the loss, especially the way it ended. But they have been able to turn it into a motivating force.

“It definitely stays in our memory,” said senior Anna Wagner, who is a tri-captain along with Ross and senior Heather Carrier. “We think about it every day. It’s just kind of a depressing moment. But, it just makes us want to win that much more this year.”

What was a relatively young bunch last season is now a pack of seasoned veterans, with more than a dozen seniors. The experience of going so far has instilled confidence in the team to get back to the championship, and possibly win it all.

“The confidence is that much higher in each one of us because we were there and a lot of us did start, so we know how it feels,” Carrier said. “I think we should make it there again and hopefully win it this time.”

The ingredients, both physical and mental, look to be in place for special season.

“We’ve got pretty much everyone back from that game,” Mariello said. “We’ve got that bitter taste. We have the drive, the motivation. It’s their senior year and they want to make it a big one. They want it.”

And if the returning talent wasn’t enough to at least make Scarborough a favorite to repeat in the West, the Storm will be bolstered by the addition of junior Kristen Felt, a transfer from Cony High in Augusta, and her sister Stephanie, a freshman.

Mariello said the Felt sisters are skilled, finesse players. She expects them both to be major contributors.

“They fit right into the blend of things,” Mariello said. “They’re adding what I call the ‘wow factor’ to our team. I think we’re just going to be very pretty to watch.”

Mariello said she was impressed by the level of conditioning she’s seen this preseason, which tells her that players have been working hard in the offseason. That doesn’t mean she’s going to take it easy on them in practice, however.

“Coach Mariello has pushed us so hard. Like all we do is run,” joked Carrier before finishing her sprints at the end of practice.

It won’t be a cakewalk for Scarborough to win the West. Mariello believes the top seven teams in the SMAA will be competitive. The Storm has never beaten Sanford, but will have another chance when it visits the Redskins on Sept. 28.

“They’ve been a thorn in our side, and of course we’re down there,” Mariello said. She said she also expects Gorham to be a top contender.

There’s a lot of work to do between now and the state finals, but anything less than a return appearance would be a disappointment for Scarborough. The goal is to end Skowhegan’s reign.

“I think it would be pretty awesome,” Carrier said, a key player on the Scarborough softball team that topped Skowhegan for the state championship in June. “It would be the greatest feeling because this is my senior year and it would finish a great four years of high school.”

Scarborough High captain Brittany Ross battles a teammate for possession during field hockey practice on Monday morning.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino