WINTHROP — The Winthrop field hockey team defeated more than Lisbon on Friday.
On a sizzling, cloudless afternoon, in which several players limped or were carried off the field because of the heat, the Ramblers shut out the Greyhounds, 4-0, in a rematch of last year’s Class C South final, when Winthrop topped Lisbon 8-1 en route to the state championship.
Bella Littler scored two goals for Winthrop (1-1) before she was carried off the field in the third quarter with leg cramps. She did not return.
Teammate Madeline Wagner, who set the school assist record last year, picked up where she left off and dished out three more helpers Friday, two to Littler as the pair were in sync throughout the first half. Julia Letourneau and Lauryn Wood rounded out the scoring; Wood left the game immediately after her unassisted goal in the third quarter.
“We’re used to playing in the heat after all the summer (club) games, but obviously it affected us a little bit,” Wagner said. “But we’re going to keep working on staying hydrated, and I think we played well through the heat.
“Bella and I have been trying to work together in practice on passing and using our space together, so it’s really come along,” Wagner added.
In addition to beating the heat, Winthrop accomplished its goal of getting back on track two days after losing its season opener to Dirigo, 5-3, the Ramblers’ first loss in two years.
“It was pretty essential to come out today and play like this — a lot of fire, a lot of heart,” veteran Winthrop coach Sharon Coulton said.
Winthrop goalie Madison Weymouth, left, stops shot by Lisbon’s Alina Saunders during a field hockey game Friday in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Lisbon started out strong and fired a few early shots at Winthrop goalie Madison Weymouth (nine saves), but Winthrop battled back and scored with 7:08 left in the first quarter when Littler converted Wagner’s pass from the right side. Letourneau’s unassisted goal with 2:56 left made it 2-0.
“We came out hard and got they deflated when they put a couple goals in,” said Lisbon coach Julie Petrie, who praised the efforts of goalie Monica Levesque (16 saves). “It was frustrating game for sure. We just didn’t play our best today.”
With 8:34 left in the second, Wagner recovered the ball from a scramble in front of Levesque, and fed to ball to Littler, who found the back of the cage.
The game was in hand after Wood’s goal, but the heat was still around, as the teams swapped ice and bananas in a united effort against the conditions. Coulton turned to her bench.
“We had a lot of younger, less experienced kids who weren’t expecting to get into a game like this go out there and hold their own,” Coulton said.
Winthrop took nine penalty corners to Lisbon’s four.
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