Lyford lifts Central past Mattanawcook 1-0 Devils prevail in 2 overtimes

CORINTH – Early this season, the Central Red Devils needed an overtime goal in order to top Mattanawccook Academy.

Midway through the year, it took a score with seven seconds left in regulation to turn the trick.

Do you see a trend developing?

On Tuesday, it took 60 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods before the No. 3 Devils solved MA goalie Sara McCormick in a Class C Northeastern Division quarterfinal the Devils would win 1-0.

But eventually, they did. Just a minute and a half after McCormick had foiled Jody Harvey’s penalty stroke attempt, Casey Davis crossed a free hit from the right flank to a wide-open Heather Lyford three yards in front of the goal.

Lyford snapped her shot over McCormick’s leg and into the net with 3:29 to go in the second extra period.

“It was coming across and I knew I was going to get it,” Lyford said. “I wasn’t gonna let it past me.”

The teams were playing the second of two eight-minute, 7-on-7 overtimes.

The game-winner came after game-long prodding from Central coach Diane Rollins, who wanted her forwards to think more offensively against the Lynx, rather than worry about an MA counterattack.

Davis said she didn’t really see Lyford lurking near the left post. She just knew where the ball should go.

“I was just aiming right toward the goal and whoever tapped it in, it was great,” Davis said. “I just hit it. [I thought] ‘Take a quick hit and try to get it there.'”

Central improves to 9-4-2, while the sixth-seeded Lynx of Lincoln finish a deceptive 3-10-2: Seven losses came by one goal, and nine games went into overtime.

“We’ve just come out on the short end of the stick all year like that,” MA coach Dean Libbey said, admitting that coming close to winning so many games has been frustrating.

“I thought we played well enough,” he said. “We just can’t finish. And you can’t win if you can’t score.”

The Central defense held the Mattanwcook Academy attack at bay all afternoon long, allowing no shots on goal in front of goalie Cindy Dehm.

The Devils countered by firing 12 at McCormick and piling up a 10-3 advantage on penalty corners. McCormick made six saves.

One key to Central’s success: The speedy Devils countered every possible MA breakaway threat by sprinting back and breaking up the play before Dehm had to do any real work.

“[We’re] a pretty quick team, thank God,” Rollins said. “Because, if we had let down once, it wouldn’t have been the same.”