If recent history is any indication, the York girls have a lot of momentum coming into Saturday’s Class B state schoolgirl championship soccer game.

The Wildcats won their third Western Maine championship in six years last week with a 1-0 overtime victory over Windham. The win avenged a 1-0 upset loss to Windham last year in the West semifinals.

York will play East champ Houlton Saturday at Hall-Dale High School for the Class B state championship at 11 a.m. Houlton is no stranger to York as the Wildcats defeated Houlton in the 1988 and 1990 state title games.

Can York make it three straight state wins over Houlton?

“This is a game between two great defensive teams,” said York Coach Rick Kenney. “And we both got here with 1-0 wins (in the regional finals).”

The 12-2-2 Wildcats are on a roll. York’s defense has been rock solid with shutouts in both of its playoff games. It has a total of nine on the season.

The success York has enjoyed is even more remarkable considering the Wildcats lost 11 seniors from last season’s squad. Seven of those seniors were starters… five were All-State players.

“I wouldn’t say I’m real surprised we’ve done as well as we have because I knew we still had a lot of talent,” said Kenney.

Leading the offensive talent are junior wings Danelle Losier and Chrissy McArdle – the top two scorers on the team. Not far behind are strikers Samantha Desmarais (senior) and Jen Bailey (sophomore).

As much talent as there is, York may still have a significant weakness – its offense. The Wildcats scored only one goal in both playoff wins.

To beat Houlton, York must keep the pressure off junior goalie Joanna Brown, who has notched all nine shutouts.

That mission falls to sophomore sweeper Liza Brown and junior stopper Katie Dunn.

“We’ve stayed with a conservative offense and an aggressive style of defense,” Kenney explained.

The Wildcats have also received above-average production from young players like freshmen Kiki Hutchins (wingback) and Michelle Dennis (halfback), Bailey, and Brown.

Unlike past teams, York features a solid group of players at every position. They don’t rely on a few big stars.

“This has been a team effort all year. We don’t have a real star player or two,” Kenney said.