BRANDON — It was a skillful, fast-paced contest between two of the best high school field hockey teams in the Marble Valley League, but in the end Division I Rutland handed D-II Otter Valley its first loss of the season last week, 3-2.
The OV-Rutland rivalry that has developed in recent years makes for great field hockey, and Thursday’s game was no exception.
Rutland’s Catherine DiPalma had a big day, scoring all three Raider goals, two late in the second half as RHS rallied for the win.
Rutland was on the board first at 8:52 in the first half, but OV countered with a goal from Allison Lowell at 7:09 on an assist from Brittany Bushey.
In the second half, Bushey scored on her own at 21:34 to make it 2-1, but DiPalma was on fire. She responded with two goals at 9:34 and 7:27 to give the 3-1 Raiders the tie and then the win.
The 5-1 Otters had a number of scoring opportunities, thanks to the long, hard hits of talented sophomore midfielder Maia Edmunds.
But the Raiders got a lift from their own effective transition game after a timeout with 10:14 to go in the game with OV leading, 2-1. That’s when DiPalma struck and the Raiders stayed on the attack, protecting the lead to win.
OV had six shots on goal, while Rutland tallied seven. The Otters’ freshman goalkeeper Myliah McDonough had six saves, and Rutland’s Laura Hewitt made five.
The Otters will have another crack at the Raiders when they travel to Rutland for a rematch on Tuesday.