SKOWHEGAN -- Despite the fact that Erin Sevey scored twice in Skowhegan's 2-1 win against Gardiner in an Eastern Maine Class A field hockey tournament semifinal game on Saturday afternoon, Sevey's coach preferred not to talk about individual efforts.

Instead, Indians coach Paula Doughty praised her team has a whole after they held off a furious second-half attack from the Tigers to put themselves into the regional finals for the eighth straight year. They will face Messalonskee, a shutout winner against Cony, in the finals.

"(Sevey) is just one of many," Doughty said. "She's just one kid. My kids each have their own job, and Erin's job is to score goals -- but that doesn't make her any better than anybody else. Every single kid, including the kids on the bench, have a role. ... She does her role well, but the other kids all did their roles well today, too."

Skowhegan fell behind early, surrendering a goal to Gardiner's Ashley Work just 27 seconds into the game. The Indians then got going when Sevey scored her first goal just more than two minutes later and taking the lead for good when Sevey scored off a penalty corner play 20 minutes, 46 seconds in.

"I knew we could pull it out. We always do," Sevey said.

Gardiner coach Moe McNally thought the shot -- fired several feet off the ground from the left side of the arc -- was illegal.

"When we get put on our backs because of a poor call on the second goal, we've got to fight from behind. That shouldn't have happened," McNally said. "There's no way in a tournament game you should be put in a situation where you've got to fight back on a call that was absolutely incorrect."

Balls that are played off the ground can be considered infractions as "dangerous plays." McNally argued that a penalty corner play, with more than a dozen players in a congested area, creates a dangerous situation.

"The minute that ball comes off the ground that high, it should have been called back," McNally said.

Doughty didn't see a problem with the play.

"It was a fine goal," she said.

Doughty thought the more significant factor was the way her team responded to surrendering the goal in the opening minute.

"When that happens, your team can either go south or go north," Doughty said. "Those kids, they just turned it around and said, 'Hey, this game ain't over,' and they just played their hearts out. I was very, very pleased."

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com