Lisbon field hockey coach Julie Wescott implored her team to “wake up” on several occasions in an uninspiring first half of season-opening high school action against Mountain Valley Conference newcomer Oak Hill on Friday.

Yes, the Greyhounds led 1-0, courtesy of a Molly Nicholson goal just 2:26 into the contest, but Lisbon was far from the dominating team Wescott believes her squad can be this season.

“We came out flat, not aggressive,” said Wescott, who watched a better effort from her squad in the second half en route to a 3-0 victory. “These girls consider themselves a second-half team, but I would much prefer to have them be a full-game team. They did play better in the second half, but this was not a pretty game of field hockey.”

Second half ’Hounds

After a less-than stellar first half that saw Lisbon (1-0) with a 6-2 shot advantage along with around a halfdozen dropped sticks, the Greyhounds put things together in the second half as the Raiders found little room against the aggressive Lisbon attack.

Arianna Kahler found the back of the net just 4:37 into the second half to double Lisbon’s lead to 2-0.

“I thought we were pretty nervous in the first half, even though I felt we were ready to play,” said Kahler, who finished off the scoring with her second goal late in the contest. “We needed to get those nerves out, hold onto our sticks and just go for it.

“Leading 1-0, a game can go either way even if you’re dominating the other team. This was our first impression for this season, and we wanted to make a good one.”

“I thought Arianna’s goal early in the second half allowed the girls to relax, and with the strong defense that we have, we were confident about holding a two-goal lead,” said Wescott, who pointed out the solid effort of defender Michaela Bedell. “Michaela played really well, and was just a beast all day. I am proud of the way we played on defense.”

After Nicholson converted a feed from Olivia Harrington for a 1-0 Lisbon lead, Oak Hill (0-1) defenders Brooke Surette, Autumn Frechette and Sadie Goulet frustrated the Greyhounds, while Raiders goaltender Abby Fuller stopped five straight shots to close the first half to keep Oak Hill close.

But, Lisbon controlled the final 30 minutes, rarely leaving the Oak Hill side of the field. The Greyhounds outshot the Raiders 9-1 (15-3 for the game) and held a 5-1 edge in penalty corners (7-3 in the contest).

Kahler redirected a pass from Bailey Cutler past Fuller for her first goal, and finished things off by sprinting past the Oak Hill defense in taking a pass from Harrington and slipping the ball past Fuller with 3:48 left on the clock.

“Arianna is fast, aggressive and stays really low, which makes her tough,” said Wescott. “For a sophomore, she is a good leader and just has a knack for the ball.

Lisbon defenders Ali Bubar and Mariah Breton were solid in front of goaltender Stevie Charest, who had three saves for the shutout in her first varsity action. Cutler, Jenn Smith and Ashley Field kept Oak Hill bottled up in the midfield.

Fuller turned aside 12 shots for the Raiders.

Lisbon 3,
Oak Hill 0

At Sabattus
Lisbon — 1 2 — 3
Oak Hill — 0 0 — 0
Goals — (L) Molly Nicholson, Arianna
Kahler 2.
Assists — (L) Olivia Harrington 2, Bailey Cutler.
Shots on goal — Lisbon, 15-3.
Saves — (L) Stevie Charest 3; (OH)
Abby Fuller 12.
Penalty corners — Lisbon, 7-3.
Records — Lisbon 1-0, Oak Hill 0-1.
Next for the Greyhounds — Wednesday at home against Spruce Mountain,
4 p.m.