JAY — The Jay/Livermore Falls cooperative girls’ soccer program wanted to jump out of the starting blocks Monday night and prove itself to the newest kids on the Mountain Valley Conference block.

That took the Wildcats, oh, all of about five minutes.

Lauren Faeth’s leaping header after a sensational throw-in by Beth Moore immediately put St. Dominic Regional High School on the wrong side of the Taglienti Field scoreboard. The Saints dominated play in spurts thereafter but never completely scaled that early hill, needing Sophie Goulet’s booming, 20-yard kick with 10:09 remaining in regulation to earn a 1-1 tie.

“We took advantage of that opportunity, but they battled all night,” Jay/Livermore Falls coach Travis Magnusson said of St. Dom’s. “They pass the ball about as well as any team I’ve seen.”

Both teams remain undefeated in a crowded MVC race. Jay/Livermore, in only its third varsity season as a Class B entity, is 3-0-1. The tie piggybacked two prior wins by the Class C Saints, who moved over from the soccer-rich Western Maine Conference this fall.

Defensive heroes were many for both teams. Alexis Blodgett, Alannah White and Kristen Delavan helped dominated the business end for the Wildcats, breaking up numerous odd-man opportunities by Goulet and Maggie Gamble in the first half.

“It’s like that goal hit the switch. It was a wakeup call for us,” said St. Dom’s coach Kathy Little.

Overtime was St. Dom’s turn to shine with its backs to the goal.

Becky Trytek made a huge steal to break up Lexi Deering’s threat in the first of two five-minute overtimes. Elise Applegate made three of her 10 saves during the extra sessions for the Saints.

“We played with a lot of heart,” Goulet said. “We were frustrated early in the game, but we knew what we had to do. We knew we had to collect ourselves and play better than we were.”

After early-season wins over Madison, Boothbay and Dirigo, the young Wildcats reinforced their status as one of the league’s rising powers after six wins, four ties and a playoff appearance in 2008.

Delavan and Jennica Turner are the team’s only seniors.

“I was proud of the way we battled the whole game,” Magnusson said. “It was kind of a clash of styles. They’re a great passing team, and we like to work hard for those 50-50 balls.”

Both Little and Goulet noted that the physical MVC style of play has been a transition for the Saints.

“It’s good to play new teams. You don’t know what to expect from anyone, and like any new thing, that’s a lot of fun,” Goulet said.

Goulet blasted home the game-tying goal from directly in front of goalkeeper Katie Beaulieu (seven saves).

Sophomore Dayle Jordan’s flip throw-ins enlivened the St. Dom’s offense late in the second half. The continuing action after one of those dead-ball opportunities left Goulet in position to play the hero.

“It was kind of a jumble,” Goulet said of the equalizer. “Definitely a team effort.”