DIXFIELD — A little dose of adversity was hard to take, but Mountain Valley picked itself up and turned in a solid performance in a field hockey game Wednesday afternoon.

The Falcons scored three goals in the first half, including the eventual winner by Emily Knapp, and then held off a furious attack late in the second half for a 3-2 triumph in a win against Dirigo in an MVC tilt.

The play bounced back and forth between the two arch-rivals as several individuals stepped forward to make outstanding plays.

Mountain Valley (2-1) had gained the momentum and sustained an offensive onslaught. The Falcons were anxious to get on track after losing 2-1 in overtime to Winthrop the previous day.

“We were disappointed with the way it turned out,” Mountain Valley defender Ayla Allen said. “We had played hard, but we knew we had to forget about it.”

Mountain Valley was leading 2-1 when it regained possession and Knapp carried the play in to the offensive circle. The Falcon senior juked a defender and the initial shot was saved by Dirigo goalie Amber Woods (six saves). Fortunately, the rebound caromed out directly to Knapp, who flicked it by Woods’ left knee pad.

“We knew coming in that this would be a tough game,”Allen said. “Dirigo really wanted it, so we knew that we had to be aggressive and take care of the ball.”

The Falcons deflected or intercepted several balls by center-midfielder Shawee Akers and defenders Sidney Yahn and Whitney Ruff.

The Cougars showed plenty of enthusiasm after having scored six goals in a season opening win over Lisbon, already equaling their 2009 win total.

Despite trailing 2-0, Dirigo (1-1) fought hard and Katrina Pulk scored on a beautiful goal. Pulk breezed by a defender on the right side, and from a near-impossible angle, nailed a 25-foot shot past Falcon goalie Emily Gallant (four saves) into the left corner of the cage.

“I’m really pleased with how well their playing,” Dirigo coach Erin Leathers said. “At one point in our first game, I told them that it was the first time in three years that they were playing as a team.”

Mountain Valley had scored twice in four minute span. Knapp set-up Chelsea Bordeau who fired the ball inside the left post. Becca Maifeld poked in a rebound on a scramble in front of the crease.

“They just need to finish off their shots now,” Mountain Valley coach Melissa Forbes said. “But it’s coming. There are a lot of girl’s playing at new positions. We graduated seven starters and there are a lot of sophomores and freshmen out on the field.”

Dirigo scored in the second half when Jordan Holmes sent a crossing pass over to Hannah Knight, who beat Gallant on the short side.

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