RUMFORD — With a pair of evenly-matched teams playing, Mountain Valley needed to be on guard in its Homecoming field hockey game Saturday morning.

Emily Knapp scored late in the first half and goalie Emily Gallant helped seal the deal as the Falcons escaped with a 1-0 triumph to complete a season sweep against Dirigo.

Mountain Valley (5-4) had beaten the Cougars 3-2 two weeks earlier in Dixfield.

The rematch produced plenty of drama. Both teams used their full allotment of timeouts, a yellow card forced the Falcons to play short-handed for five minutes and Gallant battered away a penalty shot late in the second half.

“We knew this game would be hard,” Knapp said. “Dirigo came in here really wanting to win, and we were just as determined not to let it happen. We had to go to the ball and got the job done.”

Dirigo (4-5) applied pressure throughout the second half and was awarded a penalty stroke with time winding down. The Cougars’ Katrina Pulk squared up and flicked a high shot, but Gallant rose up and battered the ball away with her left glove.

“I had confidence in Emily at that point,” Mountain Valley coach Melissa Forbes said. “Emily had worked on defending strokes at summer camp, so she knew how to get down in a crouch. She has refocused her game since we had lost to Livermore Falls.”

The teams battled back and forth for the first 20 minutes. Dirigo’s Dani Ranger crossed the ball in front, but no one was there. Colette McKeen and Hanna Knight each set up senior Jordan Holmes, but two shots went wide left. 

After the Falcons called a strategic timeout to regroup, Shawnee Akers intercepted a pass at midfield and dribbled the ball to the 16-yard line. Sarah Nichols advanced ahead to Knapp and Dirigo goalie Amber Woods (five saves) rushed out to cut down the angle. Knapp had to much forward momentum and scored with 6:01 remaining in the first half.

“I really thought the goalie would save it,” Knapp said. “She came out to stop it, but it rolled past her. A goal is a goal.”

Mountain Valley has adjusted by moving Ayla Allen up to center midfield and Chelsea Bordeau on the ring and inserting freshman Payton Provencher at forward.

Dirigo had advantages in both shots and penalty corners, but were unable to finish it off.

“It just wasn’t our day on corners,” Dirigo coach Erin Leathers said. “We just couldn’t get a stick on the ball.”