TOPSHAM— Sixty minutes wasn’t enough time to decide a winner between third-seeded Oxford Hills and second-seeded Mt. Ararat in a Class A North field hockey semifinal game on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Mt. Ararat High School.
However, 61 minutes and 16 seconds was. Allison Slicer scored 1 minute, 16 seconds into overtime after a pass from Miah Gallan somehow made its way to Slicer on the opposite side of the cage. Slicer got a stick on the ball, forcing it past Mt. Ararat goalie Piper Cohen, and the celebration was on as Oxford Hills won 1-0 in overtime.
The Vikings (11-5) will face No. 1 Skowhegan (16-0) in the Class A North regional final Wednesday in Topsham.
“I think, at first, we were all pretty nervous and didn’t know what to expect,” said Slicer, a junior forward. “As the game kept going we found ourselves and started to play our game.”
The Vikings did not get a shot on goal nor did they have a corner through the first three quarters. The fourth quarter was a different story, though, as the Vikings were awarded six corners and mustered four shots on goal in the frame.
“I thought in the second half we found some energy and in the fourth quarter we were able to attack,” said Oxford Hills head coach Cindy Goddard. “We showed a lot of resilience today. We fought to keep the ball out of our cage and found a goal when we needed it.”
Slicer’s goal came after Gallan sent in a hard cross that was tipped around by a few Mt. Ararat (10-4-2) defenders. The ball made its way to Slicer’s stick as she was losing her balance, but she kept it long enough to tip it into the cage.
“Miah sent a perfect pass,” Slicer said. “It just ended up at my feet and I went for it.”
Slicer also scored both of Oxford Hills’ goals in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Brewer in the A North quarterfinals.
Mt. Ararat outshot the Vikings 9-0 through the first three quarters and was awarded eight corners to Oxford Hills’ zero.
“It was a great battle that could’ve gone either way,” said Mt. Ararat head coach Krista Chase. “Coach Goddard had her team (were) well-prepared to play.”
The Eagles had two great scoring chances when Oxford Hills goalie Gabby Wright (10 saves) was forced off her line into a scrum of players. In both instances, Wright fell to the ground leaving an open cage behind her. Mt. Ararat got a shot on target that was blocked away by an Oxford Hills defender backing up Wright on the line.
“I thought Oxford Hills did a really good job of positioning in the circle,” said Chase. “They had a lot of defenders in the circle that made it very hard to penetrate. We had some chances.”
The best opportunity for Mt. Ararat to score came midway through the third. Lily Koslosky got a hard shot on the cage but Vikings’ defender Carlee-Mae Cash turned it aside with her stick.
“Our defense came up huge today,” said Goddard. “Without them, the result could’ve been different, they played amazing.”
The Eagles, who posted their best season in years, will graduate six seniors, including five starters.
“I’m sad for my seniors who got us to this point,” said Chase. “An old Mt. Ararat coach told me this is the first time that Mt. Ararat had hosted a semifinal game. We had a great season, and we hope we can build on it.”
For Oxford Hills, a battle with powerhouse Skowhegan is on deck.
“It’s going to be a challenge and we know that,” said Slicer. “We’re super excited to see what we can do.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
