SANFORD — Patience is a virtue and the Massabesic Mustangs field hockey team proved that Wednesday night after battling Sanford in 60 scoreless minutes.

As the clock struck :00, the referees awarded the Mustangs a penalty corner, their 13th of the game. In their previous 12 corners, the Mustangs could not convert them into a goal. But things changed on the last attempt.

Massabesic coach Michelle Martin-Moore called timeout and settled her players.

Sam Emmons, as she did the previous 12 times, started the corner with a flick from the end line into the zone. The Mustang players rushed the net and put a shot on goal, but Sanford goalie Sarah Stanley, as she did 12 times before, stopped the shot.

This time, however, Massabesic’s Taylor Bergeron snagged the rebound and flicked it past a diving Stanley and into the net for the game’s only score as Massabesic handed Sanford its first loss of the season, 1-0. After the goal, the Mustangs rushed the field at Goodall Park and converged in celebration.

“It was so intense,” an out-of-breath Bergeron said of the game and the final play. “I just saw the ball cross in front of the net and I touched it and flicked it as hard as I could.”

Entering the game, the two teams were, and still are, as evenly matched as two teams can get. Massabesic entered at 8-1 and had only allowed seven goals in those nine games. Sanford entered at 7-0-1, only allowing six goals in its eight games.

Something had to give, which is why Martin-Moore said she called the timeout before the final penalty corner.

“I wanted to settle them down,” she said. “I told them that they (Sanford) didn’t have any other shot to bring it up the field, so we just need to relax and try to score a goal. If we don’t, then we go into overtime.”

As it turned out, there wouldn’t be an overtime, as Massabesic improved to 9-1 with its only loss coming to Cheverus (1-0) earlier in the season.

As for Sanford (7-1-1), coach Diana Walker, who has coached the Redskins for more than 20 years, said she wasn’t going to let her team focus on this loss.

“I told them that it’s just a regular season game,” Walker said. “It’s only one loss and that doesn’t prevent us from getting into the playoffs. I told them that we can beat them in the playoffs when it counts.”

The game marked the first time in two years that the rivals have played because of the Southwestern Maine Activities Association’s yearly rotating schedule.

Combine that with the intense rivalry and the teams’ success this season, and the atmosphere was electric on the field, Bergeron said.

“I definitely think it had a playoff atmosphere,” she said. “It was very intense out there.”

Stanley (16 saves) and Massabesic goalie Courtney Picone (15 saves) each kept their respective teams in the game as both made critical stops throughout the contest.

With 3:51 left in the second half, a Sanford defender slipped and fell in front of the goal, leaving the net open as Stanley was out of position. Massabesic’s Allie Braley fired a shot toward goal, but Stanley dove to her left and poked it safely away with her stick, preserving the scoreless tie.

Earlier in the second half, Sanford put a flurry of shots on goal after a penalty corner with 26:29 left in the second half, but Picone knocked them all out of the way. Perhaps the biggest save during that flurry came at the end when Lauren Sawyer fired a quick shot, but Picone knocked it down and the Massabesic defense cleared it to midfield.

One of the best saves of the night came from a Sanford defender and not a goalie. With 24 minutes remaining in the second half, Massabesic’s Logan Provencher fired a shot on what appeared to be an empty Sanford net. The Redskins’ Salena Helmreich pounced in front of the net and cleared the shot.

“It was just an amazing and intense game,” Picone said. “We really wanted it, but we knew it would be a tough game. Sanford’s a really tough team, but we really wanted to come out of here with a win.”

Massabesic will play again Friday when it travels to McAuley for a 3:45 p.m. game. Sanford plays again at home on Friday when it hosts South Portland for a 6 p.m. game.

Notes: Both teams were “Playing for a Cure” to find a cure for cancer Wednesday night. Sanford warmed up in pink shirts and the referees wore pink polo shirts during the game. ”¦ Fans from both teams also competed to see who could raise the most money for the cause. Each school had a donation jar near the entrance of Goodall Park. Massabesic raised $276.95 and Sanford raised $234.80 for a total of $511.75. The Mustangs also sold pink ribbons throughout the week for $1. They raised an additional $100 through those sales.

— Contact Al Edwards at 282-1535, Ext. 323.