PORTLAND — It was a sequel to one of the more exciting games so far this season. And like the first one, the second matchup between the Cheverus and Biddeford field hockey teams went down to the final seconds.

Mary McCartney tallied the go-ahead goal with 5:08 left in the third quarter, and Cheverus survived a Biddeford corner at the final buzzer to hang on to a 2-1 victory in a matchup of the top two teams in the Class A South Heal point standings.

Cheverus, ranked No. 1 in the Varsity Maine field hockey poll, improved to 7-0-1, while Biddeford, ranked fourth, suffered its first defeat and fell to 5-1-2. The game was a rematch of the teams’ 4-4 thriller in a season opener.

“I think there’s some history there, for sure. The past few years, we’ve had some battles with them,” Cheverus coach Andrea Musante said. “The buildup to that, and the way that both teams are so talented and also aggressive, made it a great game.”

Key moments

• On the first corner try for Cheverus, Brooke Brunelle gathered the ball and sent it to the left post, and Martin was in position to redirect it in for a 1-0 lead with 13:31 to go in the second quarter.

• Biddeford evened the score on its first corner. Rachel Lagasse inserted to Mia Mariello, who brought the ball to the right and smacked a shot that skipped into the goal with 12:53 left in the third.

• Cheverus pulled ahead with 5:08 to go in the third when Sydney Brunelle rapped a shot from outside the circle and officials ruled McCartney deflected the ball into the goal from inside the line.

• Biddeford got its third corner opportunity and inserted the ball with four seconds to go, but Kayla Magnant’s shot deflected over the net on the final play of the game.

Tip drills

• Both Cheverus goals came on deflections, which Musante said is no coincidence.

“We work on that a lot,” she said. “They know that that’s their job. They know how to position their body and their stick to be effective, and it is hard to defend.”

Martin said practice paid off on her goal.

“We’ve been working really hard on tipping drills,” she said. “At this point, it was second nature. I don’t really think, I just do.”

The work led to the winner as well.

“I was just trying to get out there and get any touch I could and deflect it toward the goal, and it worked out,” McCartney said. “I love that I’m able to help my team when I can.”

Slow start

• Biddeford struggled to generate chances in the first half, which coach Caitlin Tremberth said was due largely to the team needing to get a feel for the natural surface at Cheverus.

“We take a little while to learn the grass,” she said. “It’s a different game, it’s a whole different sport.”

The Tigers found their rhythm in the second half, then generated pressure late as they looked for a tying tally.

“They’re a resilient group. They didn’t give up,” she said. “We’re really good at bouncing back, staying strong, and just being mentally tough and staying mentally in.”