The Brewer High School field hockey team had a break-through season last fall.
The Witches went 10-3-1 during the regular season which was the program’s first winning campaign since the 2014 team went 7-6-1 in Class B North.
It was the best record since the 2011 team went 10-3-1 in Class A North.
And the Witches are looking to build on that this season and have already taken a major step in doing so by opening the schedule with a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win over powerhouse Skowhegan, which has won 22 straight Class A North titles and 17 state championships during that span.
The River Hawks had gone 69-1 during the regular season in their previous five seasons.
“That was a really, really great win,” said third-year Brewer head coach Jamie Emerson. “What we really focused on was being mentally prepared. I knew we had the skill to compete with that team but sometimes because Skowhegan has such a great program, teams are beaten before they even walk on the field.”
Emerson said she was proud of the team for coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the game, noting it showed their mental toughness.
Skowhegan coach and Maine Sports Hall of Famer Paula Doughty was impressed with the Witches, predicting they will go far this year.
“They’re a great team and (Emerson) has done a wonderful job with them. They are very athletic and very aggressive,” said Doughty. “They have good skills.”
Emerson had been the head coach at Old Town before coming to Brewer,
“I knew we had some work to do and it starts at the youth level. I’ve been doing that as well. It’s a huge commitment but we have grown the youth program which trickles up into the high school,” said Emerson.
Emerson said she has challenged her players to be the best that they can be.
“I knew they had the talent. But they had to work hard and put the effort in and they have done that,” she said.
Emerson feels her Witches are one of the fastest teams she has ever coached.
“They’re very fast and they’re also very strong, physically,” said Emerson, a former Belfast High standout and UMaine field hockey captain when she was Jamie Flagg.
“That’s a great combination to have,” she said.
The Witches have two returning All-KVAC Class A North players in center forward Allie Flagg and center midfielder Jordin Williams, who are both seniors.
Both are dynamic game-changers who are a threat to score any time they have the ball.
Flagg scored the first goal against Skowhegan, Williams assisted on Bella Pierce’s tying goal and Paige Oakes scored the game-winner off assists by Williams and Flagg.
Flagg is joined on the front line by sophomore left wing Syrina Zavala and senior right wing Oakes.
Williams is accompanied in the midfield by junior Olivia Gilmore on the left side and sophomore Abbie Flagg, Allie’s sister, on the right side.
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Senior Pierce anchors the back line between junior Sayde Persaud on the left and junior Lydia Jordan on the right.
Junior Delaney McDonough is the sweeper in front of junior goalkeeper Abbie Derosier.
“All of our fullbacks used to be forwards. They are all athletic so when I took over, I told them I was going to change everything they knew by moving them to fullback and they did it with a smile on their faces. Now they are one of the best back lines in the state,” said Emerson.
Derosier is capably backed up by senior Maci Morneau, last year’s starter.
Senior Lilly Goodwin, junior Isabelle Long and sophomore Alleia Richards supply depth off the bench.
The Witches, who followed up their win over Skowhegan with a 1-0 victory at Brunswick, hosted Hermon on Friday night on their new artificial turf surface on Heddericg Field.
“What a dream to play on that turf, holy cow,” said Emerson.
And the Witches have nine home games this season and only five away games after having five home games and nine road games a year ago.
They played their home games at the University of Maine’s field hockey complex in Orono.
“That’s another advantage we have this year. We were on the road every day last year, even to get to practice,” said Emerson. “To have that home field is very nice and I like sharing it with the other sports teams. It has really created this really good environment of collaboration.”
The Witches have some extra motivation after squandering a 2-0 lead in the final 10:27 of their 3-2 loss to Edward Little of Auburn in their Class A North quarterfinal last season.
“We lost that game mentally. If you are going to make it to the Northern Maine final, you have to do it, mentally. We’ve had a lot of growth since then and I’m really proud of that,” Emerson said.
