ROCKPORT — A pair of defenses dominated the varsity field hockey game between Camden Hills and Edward Little in Rockport on Monday, Sept. 9 as despite playing two overtime periods, neither team scored a single goal. 

Thus, the game ended in a scoreless tie giving Camden Hills a 1-0-1 record and Edward Little a 0-1-1 record. 

Camden Hills recorded 15 corners and 12 shots, while Edward Little recorded 13 corners and 10 shots. 

Camden Hills goalkeeper Vicki Balla recorded 10 saves, while Elise Syphers record 12 for Edward Little. 

Camden Hills head coach Lindsey Clement said Balla did a great job in goal for the Windjammers. 

“[S]he was aggressive and skilled, stopping and clearing wide all shots that came her way,” Clement said.

Clement also praised the team’s pair of sophomore defenders, noting one would never know they were sophomores based solely off the way they played in the Monday showdown. 

“Gail Curtis did a great job at breaking up their offensive momentum, while Alyssa Bland read the play to pick off any passes or loose balls,” Clement said. “Alyssa has always been a forward, but this year she's been playing defense. Without question, we had more stamina left going into the overtimes. Despite playing 60 minutes already, Alyssa had fresh legs so we pulled her back up. It gave our midfielders time to recover, and her grit kept the ball in the [Edward Little] end most of both overtimes.”

The visitors had a pair of powerhouse seniors up front and Clement said the Windjammers found themselves struggling to mark one of them early on, soon realizing the best player to mark Edward Little’s biggest offensive threat was Camden Hills freshman midfielder Molly Shook. 

“Without Molly tightly holding that mark, the game would have been much different,” said Clement. 

Edward Little dominated the opening ten minutes of each half, but once the Windjammers settled into play and started looking for deeper passes, the hosts gained control of the game. 

Camden Hills possessed and controlled the play in each overtime period, but could not find the back of the goalie net. 

“Syphers was on the ground half a dozen times, but we couldn't get the ball around her,” said Clement. “Our offensive effort was there, but they were all attempting something different (lift ball over Syphers, get it under her, get it around her), which resulted in no goal.”

Clement also praised Ani Reinwand for her play in the midfield. 

“Ani Reinwand played an amazing game in the midfield, weaving successfully through numerous opponents to get the ball transitioned down to our forwards,” Clement said. “Ani's speed and strength made a huge difference for our transitions to offense.”

Camden Hills now looks forward to playing a trio of games this week on the road against Brunswick (Sept. 10) and Cony (Sept. 12), and at home against Mount Blue (Sept. 14).

“We've found a good rhythm of positions, substitutions, and player combinations on the field,” said Clement. “It's been years since we've had depth like this where almost every player is capable of playing anywhere on the field. We've got a couple of challenging games ahead of us, so we're hoping to keep the momentum up.”

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.