LIVERMORE FALLS – Livermore Falls is learning on the fly how to function without a majority of the players who led the Andies to two straight regional field hockey finals.

Dirigo, six seniors strong, already has matched its total Mountain Valley Conference output of last autumn.

So Monday evening’s encounter had the earmarks of a crossroads game. Instead, Livermore Falls promptly demonstrated that it’s ready to hit the highway and mash the accelerator on the way to another banner year. The Andies cashed in three early penalty corners for goals, thumped the cage again before halftime and cruised to a 5-0 victory under the lights at Griffin Field.

Rachel Ventrella, the senior responsible for pulling the trigger on each of those productive dead-ball opportunities, finished with two goals and two assists for Livermore Falls (3-0). Whitney McDaniel also scored twice, while Helaina Lake notched a goal and two assists,

“We really took the corners to them tonight,” Ventrella said. “To get two in a row like we did was great, one from me to Helaina, then from Helaina to me. I’m always on the post, but the thing about our forward line is that everyone has been scoring. It’s not just one person.”

Livermore Falls converted two of its first three corner situations, each in the first 10 minutes.

Lake struck first at 2:28 after smothering a perfectly placed stroke from Ventrella at the edge of the goal area. She took one step toward Dirigo goaltender Dani Tompkins (15 saves) and snapped a shot just to the keeper’s right.

The second goal shared the same roots, with Ventrella shoveling the ball to Lake at sneaker level. Tompkins lunged forward and made a nifty kick save against Lake, but Ventrella kept her stick down and redirected it into the left corner.

“In our game against Telstar, corners just killed us,” said Livermore Falls coach Julia Parker, whose starting lineup featured a blend of six seniors and four sophomores. “I think we had 14 in a row and couldn’t get a goal. To come out tonight like that and go ahead 4-0 at halftime, I didn’t expect it.”

Ventrella’s pinpoint placement set up the third goal, too, even if she wasn’t officially credited with an assist. The Andies fanned on the initial shot. Lake recovered and rattled a blistering bid off Tompkins’ pads, and McDaniel was there for the deflection.

Less than a minute later, Livermore Falls made it 4-0. That tally didn’t result from a corner, but thanks to Ventrella’s steal in the Dirigo defensive zone, the disparity in numbers was the same. Her subsequent goal was unassisted.

Dirigo (2-2) delivered four shots on goal, all coming in a five-minute flurry at the end of the first half. The Cougars couldn’t convert on a sequence of three penalty corners and one long hit, with senior goalie Samantha Whiting and sophomore sweeper Brittany Souther leading the Livermore Falls resistance.

“I think we lost nine senior starters from last year,” Ventrella said. “But for this year’s seniors, we think back to our freshman and sophomore years when our JV team went undefeated. We want to do that this year.”

McDaniel scored the lone goal of the second half with 5:04 remaining.

Livermore Falls needs little motivation for its next opponent. Next-door neighbor Jay makes the short trip here Wednesday night.

“As it turns out, we’re the last two undefeated teams in the MVC, so it should be a great one,” Parker said.