LISBON — Things weren’t going Spruce Mountain’s way before the first whistle even blew. 

“I think everything was against us,” said coach Alex Bessey. “Our bus was late, didn’t pick us up, so we showed up (at) about 3:50 for a (4:15) start. And then it was hailing. So there were a lot of things against us.”

The Phoenix were able to overcome those challenges, however, and defeat Lisbon 1-0 on Monday in a battle between Class C South field hockey contenders. 

“Our record’s (now) 9-1 but I think behind the scenes, it’s been a little painful and a little bit bumpy roads,” Bessey said. “So this (win) was really huge for us.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

This was the first time Spruce Mountain (9-1) and Lisbon (8-1) faced off since last year’s Class C South semifinal game — which the Phoenix won, 1-0 — so it felt appropriate that the score was 0-0 until the second half.

Alaina Kachnovich eventually scored a couple minutes into the third period off an assist from Maddie Grimaldi. 

“Lots of adrenaline,” Kachnovich said. “There wasn’t much defense back there, so I was just ready to go for it. And (Grimaldi) had my assist and we just all worked super hard to get (the score).”

The Greyhounds (8-1), like Spruce Mountain, came close to scoring several times, but they never found the back of the cage. 

“I don’t think they were a bad team,” Lisbon forward/midfielder Julia Quagliaroli said. “They had good defense, they had good shots, they had good aerials, good drives, and you have to work with that, you have to block it up, stuff like that.”

UNSUNG HERO

Spruce Mountain’s Maddie Grimaldi averaged two steals per game for the Phoenix this past basketball season, so it’s little surprise that she knocked the ball away from a Lisbon defender to find Kachnovic for the game’s lone goal.

HEARD IT HERE FIRST

• “I’m super happy for my team. We’ve been working really hard this season, and it finally all came together and we were able to finish today with a win.” — Spruce Mountain forward Alaina Kachnovic

• “(Playing a team like Spruce Mountain) brings us fire because we just want it more and more every single day, and we work hard at practice, we work hard in preseason. We work hard for our wins.” — Lisbon forward/midfielder Julia Quagliaroli.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Spruce Mountain: Alaina Kachnovic (goal), Maddie Grimaldi (assist)