DIXFIELD — It is often said that history tends to repeat itself. That saying rang true as Lisbon and Dirigo met in the Class C South field hockey playoffs for the third year in a row. And as happened the first two times, the Greyhounds came away with a 1-0 victory.

Where history wasn’t repeated, however, was the seeding, playoff round and location of the latest meeting. The Cougars finally got that game at home, as they were the No. 1 seed facing eighth-seeded Lisbon, and the matchup was in the quarterfinals, not the semifinal round like the previous two years.

But the result was the same Tuesday at Harlow Park — Lisbon 1, Dirigo 0.

Lisbon’s senior class won a state championship as freshmen, and looking to close out their careers the same way they got the biggest contribution of the game from a freshman. Sydney Plourde scored the game’s only goal midway through the second half during a scrum in front of the goal to complete the upset.

“It’s amazing. I don’t even know what to think right now,” Plourde said of scoring the game-winning goal.

Dirigo (13-2) goalie Morgan Morrow made two initial saves in the scrum with 16:18 to play, but Plourde said the ball came out from under Morrow right to her, and she “put it in.”

“I just hit it, and just hoped,” Plourde said.

Lisbon (6-9) needed three wins in its final four regular-season games to secure the final playoff spot in Class C South, but a team that has played in the last three regional finals was in an unusual spot of being an underdog.

“Honestly, I think our record doesn’t really show what kind of team we have the potential of being. I think it just took us a little while to figure each other out,” Lisbon head coach Julie Petrie said. “They’re clicking right now, and I told them, they’re on a roll, they trust each other and they work hard, and it makes a difference, especially deep into the season.”

The Greyhounds graduated all but two starters from last year’s team that made it to the Class C state title game, and Petrie said her team was “a little timid” after starting the game with a few minutes of momentum.

The Cougars, with a roster featuring eight seniors and an 11-game winning streak (including a victory in the MVC championship game), took control from the timid Greyhounds and dominated much of the first half. But the game remained scoreless at halftime, despite Dirigo’s 8-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Dirigo continued to pile up chances — and misses — in the second half, as Ashley Perrault missed wide left five minutes in and Sophia Jacques did the same with just over a minute left. The Cougars were awarded two penalty corners in the final minute, including one to end the game, but couldn’t put a dangerous shot on goal either time.

“We controlled this game. It was on our side 75 percent of the time. We just couldn’t capitalize when we needed to. It’s as simple as that,” Dirigo head coach Gretchen Errington said. “I don’t know. Some days you just don’t click, and today they didn’t.”

Lisbon goalie Mikaylia Harnden stopped 12 shots for the Greyhounds, while Morrow totaled eight saves for Dirigo, which held a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners for the game.

Early in the season, it looked like Lisbon’s streak of regional final appearances could be in jeopardy, as the Greyhounds lost five games in a row to drop to 1-5 — a stumble out of the gates that coincided with Petrie being on a medical leave.

Lisbon looks like a different team now, and its five seniors will look to keep their careers going against No. 5 North Yarmouth Academy Saturday, with a spot in another regional final on the line for the Greyhounds.

The Cougars, meanwhile, can look back at one of their best seasons in recent memory, which included an MVC championship.

“They had a great season. We came right out, beat Winthrop. Went down, beat Lisbon. We lost one game all season. They were able to come back from being behind and win and just turn it on,” Errington said. “So they have a lot to be proud of.”

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