Yarmouth field hockey takes down Freeport in regional final rematch

YARMOUTH — Graduation wasn’t kind to the Yarmouth field hockey team, which lost nine of 11 starters from last year’s Class B South runner-up.

If there’s any question that the Clippers are still the region’s team to beat, however, they stomped it out Tuesday night.

Vivienne Corriveau had a hat trick, freshman Julie Nasveschuk added two goals, and Yarmouth beat rival Freeport, 5-2, in a showdown between teams who have met in the past three regional finals.

Yarmouth, ranked fifth in the Varsity Maine poll, improves to 10-0 and has won 37 straight regular-season games. Freeport, which nipped the Clippers in last year’s regional final, lost its second straight and falls to 7-2.

“I think everyone was waiting for us to take a step back with losing, more or less, our whole starting lineup,” Clippers coach Bre Page said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be like that. I knew we were going to be just as strong, and we were going to come out and prove we’re still at the top of Class B.”

• Yarmouth’s ability to quickly move the ball upfield and descend upon the net had Freeport scrambling. The Clippers went up 1-0 when Corriveau poked the ball free and got it to Maya Nasveschuk, who passed back to Corriveau for a goal only 1:42 into the game.

• After Freeport’s Lydia Porter answered another Corriveau goal to make it 2-1 with 12:50 left in the second quarter, Julie Nasveschuk knocked in a loose ball just 43 seconds later.

• Maya Nasveschuk and Corriveau teamed up again for a backbreaker only 14 seconds into the second half, making it 4-1. Goals by Porter and Julie Nasveschuk rounded out the scoring.

“Our main strong suit is moving the ball quickly,” Julie Nasveschuk said. “Our transitions from defense to offense are really fast. That’s what kind of jolts the other team’s defense … and results in them making mistakes.”

The heart of Yarmouth’s attack was smooth teamwork between Maya Nasveschuk, one the Clippers’ two returning starters, and Corriveau. Nasveschuk used her elite stickhandling to zip through defenders and send the ball in, and Corriveau was often ready to rap it home.

“I love having Maya in my grade. I’ll never have to play without her,” Corriveau said. “We take the lacrosse (chemistry) into field hockey. … We’re on the same wavelength.”

While Yarmouth’s attack sizzled, the Clippers dazzled in back, where junior Gianna LaBella provided a formidable barrier in front of goalie Stella Murdoch. She had good checks to derail Freeport possessions, wove around sticks trying to poke the ball loose, and advanced the ball up to start attacks.

“Gianna’s awesome,” Page said. “Gianna’s a brick wall. She can play anywhere. … She knows it’s her moment, and she’s not going to let anyone past her.”

• Yarmouth: Vivienne Corriveau (three goals, assist), Julie Nasveschuk (two goals), Maya Nasveschuk (two assists), Stella Peck (assist)

• Freeport: Lydia Porter (two goals), Megan Ritz (assist), Lydia Costa (12 saves)

• “I graduated a bazillion players who have been playing for many years, and when you don’t have a lot of competition at the beginning of the season, you don’t really know what your weaknesses are. Now I know. … You can’t continue to make the same mistake over and over and expect to win a game. Once that has gotten through to everyone, we can move forward.” — Freeport coach Marcia Wood.

• “They’re our rivals. Every game against them, we know it’s going to be tough, we know it’s going to be close. But coming out here and scoring quickly, we had a really great game.” — Maya Nasveschuk.

Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire... More by Drew Bonifant