FARMINGTON – It wasn’t a win on the scoreboard, but the Mt. Blue boys’ soccer team had a bit of a morale victory Thursday.

The Cougars grew in stature against a big, strong, undefeated Bangor team that got a first-half goal and held off Mt. Blue for a 1-0 victory.

Though Bangor (7-0) dominated the entire first half, the Cougars adjusted and battled back in the second half to make a game of it. Bangor was ranked third in the last Eastern A standings while Mt. Blue was fourth.

“I feel good about today,” said Mt. Blue coach Joel Smith. “The positive thing that came out of today was that they know what the top is. They know this team is undefeated. I think the guys were nervous. They looked at the physical size, and I think they were intimidated.”

The Rams featured a team full of skill and size. They were bigger and better than the Cougars, and it showed early on. Bangor outshot Mt. Blue 14-1 in the first half. The Rams moved the Cougars (4-2-1) off the ball effectively with their body and mounted an endless attack.

“They’re very physical,” said Smith. “They play hard. They probably had an average of six inches on us. They weren’t just tall, but they were physically mature. That played a role.”

Mt. Blue didn’t get a shot on goal until 4:58 remained in the opening half. Ben Russell had a low shot saved by Bangor keeper Bud Angst.

“I was very pleased with the first half,” said Bangor coach Dave Patterson. “We came out very strong. We had a lot of possession. We did break through eventually.”

The lone goal came with 6:50 left in the half. Nick George blasted a shot from 20 yards out that found the top corner of the net. Mt. Blue goalie Devin Zamboni had an outstanding effort with 13 saves overall, but there was little he could do on George’s game-winner.

“We didn’t really make that many great chances, but one of our guys happened to do something special and put one in the top corner,” said Patterson.

Still within reach, the Cougars leveled the playing field a bit in the second half. Mt. Blue forced Bangor to play defense and cut down on the constant pressure the Rams were able to produce.

“In the second half, the guys understood that we can still play,” said Smith. “Just because they’re bigger and taller, we can still play with them. We settled down a little bit. We had a few looks. We just didn’t capitalize.”

Russell had the Cougars first shot of the second half with 27:45 left. Angst stumbled trying to get to the low shot but recovered. Jamie Sawyer put a pair of dead balls into the box. Sam Mungin headed one on net while another was redirected wide. Welly Ramsay had a crack at a loose ball with 20 minutes left. He couldn’t get a shot by Angst, who grabbed the ball before Jordan Schanck could beat him to it. Alex Lee put one toward the net where Russell tipped it.

“We didn’t back down,” said Smith. “I was proud of them. We could have folded up. We kept battling. I think we played better in the second half. We elevated our game to match the competition.”