BIDDEFORD — While the Thornton Academy offense struggled to score in the first half against Biddeford, the Trojans defense did what it has done all season: Shut down the opposing offense. Leading just 1-0 at half, the Thornton offense woke up, sending the Trojans to a 5-0 win in an SMAA field hockey game at Doran Field on Tuesday.
The Tigers (7-5) got the ball first and did a good job of keeping it, as they dominated possession in the opening minutes. Biddeford got the first penalty corner of the game six minutes in, but couldn’t get a shot on net.
The Trojans (9-3) flipped the tide of the game less than two minutes later, as Grace Pickering found Lauren Russell by the right post for a goal after Biddeford couldn’t clear off a Thornton penalty corner.
The Trojans took hold of the momentum after that, but despite getting plenty of chances inside the Biddeford shooting circle, they couldn’t double their lead.
“We had a lot of opportunities, we just weren’t talking very much at all in the first half,” said Thornton head coach Lori Smith. “And I think that makes it hard to know where people are, especially in the circle.”
Mackenzie Hevey and the Tigers defense held strong in front of the goal, and kept it a 1-0 game heading into the intermission. Hevey made six of her 18 saves in the first half.
“Mackenzie kept us in it (until the) second half,” said Biddeford head coach Leslie Mourmouras.
The Trojans broke through less than five minutes into the second half, as Libby Pomerleau pushed a shot past Hevey during a frenzy in front of the net after Russell sent a pass in from the right corner.
Hevey made a kick save to deny Morgan Dube just over a minute later, but the Trojans were awarded a penalty corner moments after, and Dube blasted home a shot off of a pass up top from Carli Legere.
“It seems to be a theme for us, we like to pour it on in the second half, which is good, because it means we don’t give up a lot,” said Smith. “We know 1-0, you don’t get comfortable. You have to come out and play.”
Jackie Parent and Katie Barden added goals for Thornton in the second half, as the rivalry game turned into a blowout.
“I think TA’s speed got to us,” said Mourmouras. “The girls didn’t look well-conditioned today. I think they were fatigued, and they just weren’t playing positions like they should have been.
The Tigers had their chances, but they were few and far between, as the Trojans continued a trend of shutting out their opponents in victories. Thornton has yet to allow a goal in its nine wins on the season, and has given up just seven all season.
“I think that we’re just really close as a unit, and our communication has really gotten a lot better this year from last year,” said Pickering. “We just kept thinking in our heads that we’ve had eight shutouts before this, and we were like ”˜not today. We’re not going to have them score on us today.’”
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535.
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