SOUTH BERWICK — The Massabesic girls lacrosse team grinded out a win over defending Class A champion Marshwood on the road Wednesday to advance to the state title game.

Despite falling behind 2-0 early on, the No. 2 Mustangs were able to pressure the top-seeded Hawks and come up with big goals down the stretch.

The Mustangs were led by Madison Drain who scored four goals, with three coming in the second half. Drain felt that her team won by playing together.

“First off, we told ourselves that we had to go out there and work together. Marshwood beat us the first game which was heartbreaking, but we came out here and said, ‘hey, this is our game, we need to focus, we need to talk,’’’ said Drain. “We came out here and played the best game we could against a great team like Marshwood.”

The Hawks jumped on top in the opening minutes, getting two goals within 20 seconds from Marin Smith and Hannah Costin to take an early 2-0 lead.

The Mustangs would respond by scoring three consecutive goals in the final 14 minutes of the half, two by Maquila Dimastrantonio and one from Drain to move ahead 3-2 at halftime.

“I wasn’t feeling too good about falling behind by two and the way we were going, but the girls battled back and got some shots off,” said Massabesic coach Brooks Bowen.

The second half of play was back-and-fourth, starting with a goal from Marshwood’s Raegan Nichols to tie the game at 3-3. Drain would then score two goals for the Mustangs, hoping a 5-3 lead would provide Massabesic with some breathing room.

Less than three minutes later, the Hawks fired back, tying the score with goals from Costin and Nichols with three minutes left to play.

At the 1:27 mark, Josie Ring would collect a pass down the middle of the field and score the game-winning shot for Massabesic.

Massabesic and Marshwood have developed a rivalry over the past few seasons, with each squad being atop the South. The two teams battled early in the season, with Marshwood completing a come-from-behind victory in the final minutes to stun Massabesic.

Bowen and Drain expected Wednesday’s match to be just as competitive as it usually is.

“It’s not just this time, it’s every time these two teams come together. We had to be mentally prepared because we knew it was going to be a battle and today was no different,” said Bowen. “My hat is off to (Marshwood), they’re well coached and have a strong program, they kept battling.”

“Marshwood is a great team and they’re the same as us, they’re good at some things we’re bad at and we’re good at some things they’re bad at … when you face a team this good you really need to be focused, we really needed to go back to the basics against a team like this,” said Drain.

Bowen also considered the two teams to be evenly matched, and was proud of the way his club responded to the adversity.

“When you have two evenly matched teams you have to be prepared to go the distance. There are going to be some ups and downs, when things are developing there are some things we are going to have to respond to,” said Bowen.

A big factor in the Mustangs’ ability to respond was their communication on the field, a piece of their game that has developed throughout the season.

“Our chemistry has really improved throughout the year … some of that nonspoken communication has shown down the stretch. It just puts people where they need to be when they need to be there,” said Bowen.

Drain was excited for the win, and thankful for the team she plays for.

“Looking towards Saturday we are so excited, this will be my first time playing a game like this,” said Drain. “I’m amazed, I’m so happy to have a team like this.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at sports@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.