BRISTOL — Visiting Colchester dealt the Mount Abraham Union High School field hockey team a disappointing 1-0 setback on Tuesday afternoon.
The 5-4-1 Eagles had defeated the 4-4-2 Lakers by 3-1 in Colchester earlier this season, but this time the Lakers earned a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal in avenging that setback.
Eagle sophomore goalie Chessley Jackman played well in the loss, making nine saves and also kicking the ball out of harm’s way a number of times. Laker goalie Abby Ladd stopped four shots in the shutout.
The Lakers’ Courtney Phelps scored at 5:15 of the first half, with Alicia Tebeau-Sherry assisting.
Mount Abe earned plenty of territory in the second half and pressed hard for the equalizer in the late going. Senior center middie Ashley Turner forced a penalty corner with a strong rush with about six minutes left and a Laker foul gave the Eagles a second corner, but they could not square up a shot in a scramble.
Shortly afterward, senior forward Jackie Reiss launched a strong shot from the top of the circle, but it rolled just wide left.
The loss was just the second for Mount Abe since an 0-2 start: The Eagles had gone 5-1-1 in their past seven games, with the only loss by 2-1 to South Burlington, Division I’s first-place team.
According to the Vermont Principals’ Association rankings, Mount Abe on Wednesday morning stood in third in D-II behind Spaulding (8-2) and Woodstock (6-3) and just ahead of Otter Valley (6-4). The D-II race is tight, with six points separating the top six teams before play on Wednesday.
Challenges await in the Eagles’ schedule: Their next two games are on Thursday at Essex, second place in D-I, and at South Burlington on Saturday. They wrap up the regular season next week by hosting D-I’s fourth-place team, Champlain Valley, and Middlebury, a team they handled on the road earlier this fall.