Middlebury, Vt.— The Windsor High field hockey team, with no substitutes and its leading goal-scorer, Angelina Bigwood, on the bench in street clothes, pushed No. 4-seeded Stowe to the brink in its VPA Division III semifinal game at Middlebury College on Wednesday. The Yellowjackets simply ran out of gas.

Stowe’s Teagan Reeves scored the game-winner with 6 minutes, 39 seconds remaining in the second overtime, completing a comeback from a two-goal deficit and securing the Raiders’ fourth championship appearance in five years with a 3-2 win over top-seeded Windsor. The result left Stowe head coach Janet Godin, in likely her final season at the helm, nearly speechless.

“I just told my guys, ‘Never, ever, give up,’ ” Godin said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back a smile. “I called a timeout and told them, ‘You never, ever, ever give up. Remember Winston Churchill.’ … My girls were a few steps behind today.”

It was as improbable a result as it gets for a Stowe team that looked overmatched for much of regulation time. Windsor, starting 10 freshman and a sophomore in its first year back in varsity contention, used its speed and skill to build a 2-0 lead, outshot the Raiders, 27-9, and finished the game with a 12-6 advantage in corners.

But Yellowjackets head coach Jody Wood could feel the fatigue from her group. She used both of her timeouts in the second half, in part to try and give her team a little bit of a breather. But Stowe had plenty of fresh legs waiting on the sideline.

“I thought the team played amazing today,” Wood said. “We did a great job controlling the game from start to finish. I told the girls to play their hearts out and to not leave the field with any regret. I know they have no regrets. I can tell they put their heart and soul into that game.”

Hannah Wood scored both of Windsor’s goals. Her first came with 10:58 remaining in the first half, finishing off a corner that touched the sticks of Alyssa Slocum and Ashley Grela before Wood knocked notched her seventh goal of the year. She added to her totals 16 seconds into the second half, redirecting a crossing pass from Jenna Hood.

Stowe got on the board with 10:56 remaining in the second half, with Abbie Rice finishing a counterattack on a pass from Nadia Noonan. Windsor answered with chances of its own, but Rice scored again with 38 seconds remaining on a scramble in front of Windsor goaltender Madi Leduc to send the game into overtime.

By the second extra session, Windsor’s speedy squad looked gassed. Its runs down the field were not as dangerous; its midfielders took longer getting back on defense. Leduc finished the game with four saves.

“I think we surprised a few teams,” Wood said. “That’s for sure.”

The future still looks bright for Windsor, which graduates no one and anticipates an influx of four or five athletes next fall. A few substitutes, Wood admitted, would go a long way.

The Jackets (8-4-1) can also hang their hat on successfully accomplishing what they set out to do: putting Windsor back on the varsity map.

“They’re an unbelievable, young team,” Godin said. “They’re going to go a long way in the next couple of years.”

Notes: Rain, wind and cold temperatures made playing conditions a factor. … Members of the Windsor football team were in attendance, chanting loudly throughout the game. … Bigwood, serving a two-game suspension for a red card issued in Windsor’s final regular-season game, was in a blanket on the sidelines for much of the contest. … No. 4 Stowe (10-5-1) will play No. 3 Lyndon (11-5) in the D-III championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the University of Vermont.

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.