By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

RUMFORD – Dirigo High School girls’ soccer coach Art Chamberlin was impressed with his team’s performance, and wouldn’t mind seeing that trend continue for the rest of the season.

The Cougars turned up their intensity level in an MVC game Tuesday night at Hosmer Field.

Junior forward Katie Hutchinson scored an unassisted goal in the first half and the steadfast defense proved to solid en route to a 3-0 win against arch-rival Mountain Valley. Cougar goalie C.C. Chow made six saves, while recording a ninth shutout. The teams had battled to a 0-0 tie last month.

Class B Mountain Valley (2-7-3) planned to utilize a ball control offense, but it never materialized due to Dirigo’s aggressiveness as it ran down every loose ball.

Class C Dirigo (9-2-2) is in position to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs, with a game remaining against Winthrop.

“I wish the girls could bottle it up,”Chamberlin said. “Maybe there’s a pill or switch they can take because we came out of the gate with great intensity. The good thing is, that they sustained it throughout the game.”

Dirigo took the pressure directly into its offensive zone and peppered Falcon sophomore goalie Karri McPherson (20 saves). The Falcons’ defense, Sarah Radmore, Jessica Lyons and Tanya LaCroix, were back on their heels.

Dirigo broke through when Hutchinson booted a ball that rolled in the left corner with 10:13 off the clock. The Cougars had 30 shots in the game.

“We played with a 1-0 score for quite a long time,” Chamberlin said. “If Mountain Valley had been able to score then, it might have been a different game. Megan Russell has been playing strong at back, along with Deidre Gilbert. The defense had allowed six goals in 13 games. Then CC Chow made some crucial saves in the second half.”

Falcon players Terissa Ridge and Christie Volkernick each had quality shots. Dirigo iced the game with two goals in a 43-second span in the second half. Jasmine Jacques scored on Katherine Gagne assist. Gagne booted in a pass from Brianna Elliot.

“In the second half, I switched to four forwards and two midfields,” Mountain Valley coach Rich Todd said. “It worked because our offense produced shots, where as we didn’t have any shots in the first half. But it backfired some because Dirigo had a couple breakaways.”