Messalonskee field hockey coach Brenda Beckwith has been waiting for freshman Katie Bernatchez to a big impact on a game for the Eagles.

Bernatchez came through big time Saturday afternoon.

First, Bernatchez gave the Eagles the lead late in the first half. Then she helped the Eagles deflate their opponent by scoring early in the second as Messalonskee beat Cony 4-0 to advance to the Eastern A regional final.

"With Katie Bernatchez, I've been waiting for her to come out of her shell all year," Beckwith said.

"That whole thing coming from junior high to high school, I think there is a lot of maturation and I'm glad she showed it today. I think she's got a lot to builld on."

Bernatchez made a nice individual play with 2 minutes, 8 seconds left in the first half to give Messalonskee a 1-0 lead. She fielded a loose ball just inside the circle and walked in on the goal before flipping a shot into the net.

"I just tried to push it in really hard, looking for the open cage," Bernatchez said. "I saw (it was open) in front of me so I just dribbled in."

The Eagles dominated play in the second half and Bernatchez made those effort pay off when she pushed in a rebound by Briana Warren with 21:14 left.