DIXFIELD — It was a set play kind of day.

Two goals, both off indirect kicks, were the difference Thursday as unbeaten Dirigo remained that way with a 2-0 win over St. Dom’s.

With a pouring rain and a soaked and slippery field, it was tough going at times for both teams. Dirigo, however, had a pair of set plays that they cashed in on for the win.

Natalie Bolduc had a goal and an assist for the Cougars (8-0-1) while Michelle Morrison had the other goal.

“We haven’t beaten St. Dom’s,” said Bolduc. “We knew we could do it. We just worked really hard.”

Dirigo is the top seed in Western C while the Saints (6-3) are fifth. It was the seventh shutout for Cougars and ended a three-game winning streak for St. Dom’s.

“I think they beat us on two set plays,” said St. Dom’s coach Kathy Little. “Otherwise, I don’t know how many quality shots they had. I thought we had more opportunities.”

It was hard for both teams to get used to the challenging field conditions, but the Saints got their passing game in sync much quicker. St. Dom’s outshot the Cougars 6-2 in the first half and moved the ball effectively, even though the slick conditions didn’t allow for the Saints to utilize Dayle Jordan’s flip throws.

Kayla McLellan had the best chance for the Saints early in the game. When the ball slipped out of keeper Natasha Deroche’s hands, McLellan had an open net, but the shot went wide. Later in the half, Kirsten Conner got in behind the defense for an opportunity, but Deroche came out and smothered the shot.

“I thought we showed up to play,” said Little. “We came out intense from the start. That was one of our best starts of the season. We came right into our game right away. The conditions neutralized both teams coming in. I thought we outplayed them. We played hard.”

The Cougars had trouble connecting passes in the first half. Dirigo would win the ball in the midfield and boot it up front for a player to run onto the ball. Saints keeper Mary Caron did a nice job of coming out of the net and taking away any breakaway chances.

“We didn’t keep it away from her,” said Dirigo coach Art Chamberlin, who noted that a lot of keepers wouldn’t have gotten to balls as well as Caron did. “She has good range. We started spreading it out wider and got them chasing it around a bit.”

Dirigo’s best chance came after a foul on the left side. It set up an indirect kick. Wade touched it up for Bolduc, who put it nicely into the far right corner of the net with 4:59 left in the half.

“(Caron) was left near post,” said Bolduc. “I knew if I put it over her head, it could get in there. I just had to hope it went in the right corner and it did. It sailed over her head.”

With a defense that has allowed just two goals all season, that was just the break in the game Dirigo needed. From there, the Cougars knew they just needed to play smart.

“I told them at halftime that it will probably be a 1-0 game the way it was going,” said Chamberlin. “We just needed to be patient and hold onto it.”

Dirigo did a better job possessing the ball in the second half.  Both teams had a couple of good chances. Kayla McLellan had a shot saved by Deroche and later burst in alone but put the shot wide.

Bolduc missed an open net with Caron out of the goal. Bolduc’s shot rolled just wide of the left post. She later set up Addy Fuller in front, but she couldn’t get a shot off.

With 18:12 left, the Cougars took advantage of another foul. With an indirect kick on the left side, Bolduc put it on net again. Caron was able to knock it down. With the ball loose, Lindsy Crutchfield was in front and in Caron’s way. That allowed for Morrison to get to the loose rebound and put it in.

“I was hoping for a shot on net,” said Bolduc. “It’s always good for a rebound, and I know my team will always be there.”

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