SANFORD — Perhaps it’s a little too early in the field hockey season to be talking about playoff-type intensity. Then again, maybe not.

Not the way Sanford and Gorham pounded out an epic caliber contest, Wednesday, at Goodall Park, that was won in overtime by the still-unbeaten (6-0) Rams, 2-1.

Gorham’s Kayleigh Ballantyne rattled a shot off the stick of the Redskins’ Mary Beth Jenkel with 9:25 gone in the extra session to settle the hard-fought affair.

“It is disappointing,” said Jenkel, whose first-half goal gave Sanford a 1-0 lead. “But as we come together as a team, we’ll realize that this is just a warmup for the playoffs. It’s better to lose now and know what it feels like, than to go into the playoffs undefeated.”

Which, of course, is exactly what Sanford did a year ago, only to suffer an early tournament exit.

 “It’s always hard to lose,” said Redskins’ coach Diana Walker, whose team has now dropped two games in a row, both by a single goal. “But we have to use it as a losing experience. Last year we went undefeated, and what did we do? We lost in the first game of the playoffs. I’d rather lose a couple games now so that they know what it feels like, and won’t like that feeling.”

The teams swapped first half goals, with Jenkel netting hers with eight minutes to play before intermission.

It came off a penalty corner with Jenkel pulling the trigger from just inside the circle after taking a feed from Jordon Brasier.

“I had confidence in my forwards,” said Jenkel, “that they would know what to do. I released the ball and they let it go through. It just happened to go into the back corner.”

The lead lasted just five minutes, when Gorham’s Kathryn Whitehead tucked in a loose ball during a scramble in front of Redskins goalie Emily Downing.

The teams battled through a scoreless second half that featured strong work by Downing.

Her save on Hannah Prince with :32 remaining in regulation allowed Sanford to take the Rams to overtime.

“We had opportunities,” said Walker, “they had opportunities. Emily had an outstanding game in goal.”

It was a bad break for Sanford that settled the matter, when Ballantyne let fly her shot from inside the arc.

Jenkel and Downing both made a play for the shot, which hopped in off Jenkel’s stick.

“I think we played the corner well,” said Jenkel. “My job was to cover the post. (She) just had a good, hard shot that went off my stick. My stick was down, but it deflected in.”

Sanford will take the field again Thursday at Marshwood.

— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535, ext. 317.