Lucy Johnson winds up for a shot while being defended by Falmouth’s Emerson Roy. Johnson scored 49 goals and added 19 assists this season. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

It was a sight that made opposing field hockey coaches and goaltenders shudder. Lucy Johnson would take the ball, turn upfield and immediately break in on the cage, racing past defenders, her eyes looking down at the ball but her sights set on the goal.

Lucy Johnson

More often than not, that’s where the ball ended up. Johnson, Cheverus’ standout sophomore forward, turned in one of the most dominant seasons in state history, scoring 49 goals and adding 19 assists while leading the Stags to the Class A final. She is our choice as the 2022 Varsity Maine field hockey Player of the Year.

“Lucy’s one of those players that, no matter what you’re doing, summer ball, practice, warming up for a game, she does everything game-like and works really hard,” said Cheverus Coach Theresa Arsenault. “That consistent work ethic that she has really allows her to continue elevating her game.”

Maine has rarely seen an offensive force like Johnson. Her 49 goals were the second most in a season all-time, according to the Maine Field Hockey Association, and she now has 67 goals for her career. She had hat tricks in 11 of Cheverus’ 18 games and was the most lethal threat for an offense that scored 140 goals, the third most of all-time.

The key to her dominance, said Thornton Academy Coach Lori Smith, was speed. Johnson was faster, and quicker, than anyone else.

“That first step with the ball is, if you’ve got that kind of speed, that’s the difference-maker,” Smith said. “She’s got fast hands and fast feet, and she’s got a motor. She just goes and goes and goes and she gives it everything she’s got.”

Once she got into the circle, Johnson unleashed a hard, accurate stroke, frequently firing shots up into the netting of the cage.

“Her quickness and ability to get her shots off really fast this year was one thing that continued to impress me as a coach,” Arsenault said. “Being able to be in different positions, have a small little opening and get those hard shots off, or find those right angles around the goal.”

Johnson’s been working on those skills since she picked up the game at 5 years old. From the beginning, she had a feel for the sport, one of three she plays along with ice hockey and lacrosse, and she sharpened that with drills year-round.

“I definitely think speed was a main thing I’ve always had, but also stick skills and the simple things, like always practicing,” she said. “(My shooting ability) is part of practice. If I execute something at practice, I always try to do it in a game. I’ve always done things at my house, done little skills like that and shooting drills.”

That work ethic helped Johnson, who plays for the club team Coastal Field Hockey, impress as a freshman, but she dazzled as a sophomore. She credited her teammates with helping her through the pressure of meeting expectations that were heaped on her and the Stags following their 2021 championship season.

“I did get in my head a lot,” she said. “My teammates always helped me with that. They always had my back, no matter what.”

Those teammates benefited from Johnson’s talent. Arsenault said she was as good a playmaker as she was a scorer.

“She can create a lot for her team,” Arsenault said. “She has great field knowledge and I.Q. … (The assists) going along with her goals really showed that she is multi-faceted and looks to incorporate her teammates and do whatever she can to help her team succeed.”

The stats show as much.

“It’s fun to look back on,” Johnson said. “But I wouldn’t have scored or done any of that without my team. It’s a team sport; I wouldn’t take credit away from my teammates helping me out.”