March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Winslow beats up Belfast> Lions still confident, to learn from loss

BELFAST – The ominous, round moon that hung low over the field at Belfast High School Tuesday evening set the scene for a dramatic fight.

What happened in the Winslow-Belfast field hockey game was a 4-0 Black Raiders’ rout. However, to the players, the fast, frantic game was a battle leading to the greater playoff wars.

Winslow improved to 4-0, while Belfast suffered its first loss after two wins. Belfast senior captain Meghan McClure said the loss serves as a gauge of the level at which the Lions have to play to defeat the top-rated Raiders.

“This lets us know what we have to work on. We knew going into it they were good,” said the center halfback. “When we play them again, we’ll have confidence. Now when we look at the tapes, we’ll look at their weaknesses.”

The fast, athletic Raiders beat the Lions to the ball consistently and spent most of the game crowding the Belfast circle. Leading the charge was Winslow senior Lori Michaud who assisted on the second goal, scored the third and got off a number of the Raiders’ 10 shots.

Just 1 minute, 33 seconds into the game, Kristy Farren sent a perfect pass from the right of the goal to Melanie White who beat Belfast goalie Katie Small. Less than seven minutes later on a Winlsow corner, Michaud pushed the ball to Rachel Bard who scored easily in front of the goal.

With 7:25 left, Michaud scored off a Farren assist to put Winslow up 3-0 at the half.

“After our first two games, we knew we had to step it up a notch,” said Michaud, who led the Raiders in scoring last year with 23 goals. “We have a lot of team speed. We stepped to the ball.”

Farren scored an insurance goal on a direct hit with 19:46 left in the game to make it 4-0.

Yet afterward, Winslow coach Brenda Beckwith did not sound assured.

“This will motivate Belfast. That concerns me down the road,” Beckwith said. “It’s Sept. 16. It’s still early. We needed to step up outeam on a mission.”

Winslow outshot Belfast 10-4 and drew seven corners compared to the Lions’ three.

Still, McClure maintained – just like in last year’s playoffs when the Lions lost 2-1 to the Raiders after losing 3-0 in the regular season – Belfast will figure out Winslow’s strengths and give them a better fight. Maybe even beat them.

“They’re a GOOD team. We’re prepared for that,” McClure said. “Our goal for next time is to score quick, not give in and have confidence.”


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like