Dexter defeats Stearns Fogarty breaks record in win

BANGOR – Dexter High’s Meagan Fogarty found out in practice Tuesday she needed two goals to break the state field hockey record for most goals in a season.

Feeling a little bit of pressure, she wanted to get the record-breaking business over early in Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal against Stearns.

The junior forward scored three goals in the first seven minutes of the game as the No. 1 Tigers rolled to an 8-1 win over the No. 8 Minutemen of Millinocket at Husson College’s Winkin Complex.

Dexter, the three-time defending Class C state champion, will meet the winner of Wednesday’s other EM Class C quarterfinal featuring No. 5 Piscataquis of Guilford at No. 4 Hall-Dale of Farmingdale.

The 15-0 Tigers will host the semifinal Saturday.

Dexter’s field was in bad shape because of recent snow and rain, so the teams played in Bangor. Field conditions were much better, but the game was played in biting wind and snow that started to fly five minutes into the second half.

The Tigers, who have allowed just five goals this season, already had beaten the Minutemen 8-0 and 6-0 in regular-season games. Fogarty scored a combined eight goals in those two contests.

She piled on four goals Wednesday. Senior standout Brittany Veazie added three.

Fogarty had 33 goals before Wednesday’s game, one shy of the record set by Kristy Veazie, a 2002 Dexter graduate and the daughter of Tigers’ coach Margaret Veazie.

The only possible challenger to the record, Margaret Veazie said, is a standout player at St. Dominic of Lewiston.

Fogarty’s first goal, which came off a Vanessa Hartford pass from the right side, tied the record about 11/2 minutes into the game. Fogarty knocked in her second goal about 21/2 minutes later.

“I just had to get it over with,” she said. “I was a little nervous.”

Stearns tried a defensive strategy that placed two defenders inside the goal box, behind even freshman goalie Deanna Michaud, with another defender in front of her.

“I have a pretty strong defense and when we play them we kind of double up on the defense,” Minutemen coach Lori Lincoln said. “When we play them we have to try to keep their goals down.”

It was something the Minutemen have tried against the Tigers in previous games, so Dexter’s front line knew what to expect.

“We had to watch out for the girls behind the goalie,” Fogarty said. “You just have to be strong.”

Fogarty didn’t do all the scoring – she also assisted on goals by Veazie and Nikki Chapman. Keriann Patterson also had two assists, while Hartford and Sarah Wyman each had one.

Meghana Dye scored for the Minutemen with two minutes remaining. Stearns had a ball roll in early, but it went off the foot of an offensive player and did not count.

Michaud and the defenders in the box stopped eight of 16 shots for Stearns, which finishes its season at 7-8.

Dexter’s Cindy Koscielny made one save on three shots and backup Kellie Wilson saved one of two shots.