Dexter earns Homecoming overtime victory over MCI

DEXTER — Dexter Regional High School senior Shelby Sinclair scored off a penalty corner at the end of overtime to give the Tigers a 2-1 Homecoming victory against Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield in a Class C North matchup on Sept. 25.

The visiting Huskies tied play at 1-1 in the final minute of regulation on a goal by senior Charlotte Peasley, following a corner inserted by senior Lucia Wilson from the left. 

Dexter and MCI played 7-on-7 for nearly the full eight minutes when the Tigers were awarded the team’s 13th and final corner — compared to just five allowed — in the final seconds of overtime. 

Junior Kaitlyn Cookson put the ball in play from the right as she hit it to junior Olyvia Watson. Watson dribbled to get inside the shooting circle and lofted the ball up in the air before it landed behind MCI junior keeper Isabella Bertocchi.

Sinclair and Cookson were both in good position and Sinclair hit the ball in from the left before Bertocchi could get back.

“We knew we had a corner and knew it was down to the last couple of seconds and we really had to just give everything that we could,” Sinclair said. She watched the ball flicked up in the air and she was in a position to direct it in for the game-winner as Dexter improved to 4-2. The Huskies fell to 5-4 in the lone regular season meeting of the Penobscot Valley Conference/Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference teams). 

Freshman Peyton Hill scored Dexter’s first goal in the second quarter. Classmate Emma Spizuoco passed her the ball and Hill shot it in from directly in front of the goal. 

The Tiger roster includes six freshmen and five seniors to make up over half of the 18-member roster. 

“We have a really good team, our seniors this year are definitely leaders including myself but we have a very strong freshman group,” Sinclair said.

“Our freshmen just really stepped in and they bonded really well with the seniors,” head coach Peyton Watson said. “From the beginning of the summer they really played well together and that’s been like that ever since.”

She credited her players for rebounding quickly after MCI forced overtime in the final minute of the fourth quarter when morale could easily have crumbled.

The Tigers have played a tough schedule including Foxcroft Academy, 7-0 and ranked first in the Class C North Heal Point standings, Class B North No. 1 Nokomis Regional High School of Newport and the Tigers earned a 1-0 victory vs. Class B North No. 6 Old Town High School.

“It gets our players ready for high stakes situations like this, it gets our freshmen some really good opportunities to get seasoned as they grow on,” Watson said. “These games prepare us for the really close games that are bound to happen come playoffs.”

Sophomore Bella Wallace stopped a shot for Dexter. Across the field Bertocchi made a half dozen saves.

FIELD HOCKEY

Dexter 2, MCI 1 (OT)

MCI 0 0 0 1 0 – 1

DEX 0 1 0 0 1 – 2

Second: D – P. Hill (Spizuoco)

Fourth: M – Peasley

Overtime: D – Sinclair (Watson)

Penalty corners: M – 5, D – 13

Saves: M — Bertocchi 6, D – Wallace 1

Records: M — 5-4, D — 4-2