DIXFIELD – North Yarmouth Academy coach Jeff Thoreck didn’t want to lose any momentum heading into the second overtime of Saturday’s Western C soccer final. He used the two-minute break to urge his team to keep the pressure on the Dirigo defense and try for a quick strike.

His team didn’t let him down.

Caty Von Brecht’s goal 36 seconds into the second overtime lifted the No. 2 Panthers past the top-seeded Cougars 3-2 in a battle of unbeatens.

“I thought we had the momentum,” said Thoreck. “We had put the pressure on with our forwards. Basically anything can happen in the playoffs and we really didn’t want to lose that momentum.”

“We were talking and we said we wanted to get a quick goal,” added Von Brecht.

The Panthers (16-0-1) moved the ball quickly down into the Cougar end to begin the second overtime. NYA’s Molly Moss settled the ball for a direct shot from 20 yards out. Her blast was deflected by Dirigo keeper Christina Chow (24 saves) off the cross bar. The ball ricocheted straight down to the crease area. As Chow turned to find the ball, it was already at the feet of an onrushing Von Brecht. The senior forward fired the ball into the lower left-hand corner past the diving Chow.

“We’ve been told to shoot low,” said Von Brecht, “because (Chow) plays the high balls really well.”

The Cougars (14-1-2) led 1-0 and 2-1 only to see the Panthers answer each time. The Panthers controlled much of the play throughout the second half and overtime sessions, outshooting the Cougars by a 17-4 margin over that span.

“The first half we played their game,” said Von Brecht. “At halftime we wanted to keep the ball on the ground and spread it out more. That’s our game.”

“I thought we handled their pressure really well,” said Cougar coach Art Chamberlin. “They’re by far the best team we’ve played all year. (The game-winning) goal wasn’t exactly a well-conceived goal, but it’s the type of goal that wins games.” Dirigo’s Danielle Glover opened the scoring midway through the first half. Brooke Weston had beaten Panther keeper Emily Staszak to a loose ball in front of the cage. As the ball bounded across the crease, Glover was there to tap it in.

The teams traded scores early in the second half. Von Brecht raced down the right wing and lined a low liner past Chow from 25 yards out. Minutes later, the Cougars took advantage of an aggressive Staszak. The Panther keeper left the crease area in an attempt to grab a loose ball. As the ball dribbled through in front of the net, Panther defender Mary Longley found herself all alone facing a pair of Cougar forwards. Longley blocked Glover’s shot, but Katie Hutchinson settled the rebound and touched the ball into the goal.

The Panthers tied the game again with 13:41 left in regulation. Off a corner kick by Von Brecht, Liz Culver fired a shot from the right side that was initially stopped by Chow. As the ball slipped away from the Dirigo keeper, Meghan Meintel was on the doorstep for the goal.