BRUNSWICK — The Edward Little girls’ soccer team knew what it was up against Saturday.

Facing the unbeaten Brunswick Dragons, the Red Eddies knew their defensive effort would have to be top-notch to quiet the high-scoring Brunswick team.

EL wasn’t able to silence the Dragons completely, but Brunswick made a little less noise than it has in a lot of games this year. EL produced the kind of defensive effort it needed, but the Dragons still struck for three goals in a 3-0 win.

“Coming in, I told the girls that we were going for the win or the tie and that we were going to have to be very defensive,” said EL coach Val Ackley. “We knew Brunswick is very skilled. They have a great tactical sense of the game. They’ve beaten teams 7-0, 7-0, 8-3, 4-2 against Morse and 3-2 against Mt. Ararat. So we knew we were coming up against tough competition.”

Alison Walton had two goals and an assist while Hilary Champagne added a goal and an assist for second-seeded Brunswick.

“EL beat Mt. Ararat and Mt. Ararat was our toughest game,” said Walton. “So we knew this game was going to be hard. I thought the team played very well. We connected well. It was all there except the finishing.”

Though Brunswick controlled play and outshot EL substantially, EL produced a hard-working and composed effort against tremendous pressure. EL was also hindered by the fact that keeper Kirsten Prue wasn’t feeling well and defender Frankie Lally was playing on a sore foot after stepping on a nail a few days ago. Prue finished with 14 saves and made a number of diving stops to keep EL close.

“I thought we held our composure and we stayed strong,” said Ackley, whose club is ranked sixth in Eastern A. “I told the girls that we’ve never walked onto a soccer field and walked off without saying we worked our hardest and did our best. Again today, I think we can say that. We had a couple let downs, but ultimately, I’m very happy with our effort.”

Brunswick (7-0) outshot EL 17-1 in the first half and controlled possession for much of the half. EL (3-3-1) managed an occasional offensive push, but the one shot the Red Eddies produced went over the net.

Brunswick controlled the midfield and transitioned the ball effortlessly. The Dragon defense was quickly able to turn each ball into offense and put pressure on the EL defense.

The Dragons got the first goal with 14:56 left in half. Walton beat an EL defender and centered the ball to Champagne. With two defenders on her, heading toward the right post, Champagne was able to chip it back toward the left post and put it inside the post.

With 11 minutes left, the Dragons made it 2-0 when Champagne sent the ball ahead to Walton. When an EL defender fell, Walton was in alone on Prue and chipped it to the top of the net.

“It was definitely good to look up at the scoreboard and see us up 2-0,” said Walton. “But two goals is probably the hardest lead you can have because teams can get complacent, and one goal can get them back in the game. So we knew we had to keep our heads in the game and play hard.”

EL’s lone rush of the second half came when Kelly Philbrook made a run on a loose ball but keeper Lydia Caputi got to the ball first and knocked it down. Brunswick outshot EL 15-1 in the second half, but saves by Prue preserved the two-goal lead. With 9:17 left, Walton finished a nice centering pass by Rebekka Miller.

“Our No. 1 goal was to make sure our defense had everyone covered and that we weren’t chasing but anticipating,” said Ackley. “In the first half, despite the pressure we faced, our defense held up strong.”