FARMINGTON — The Lewiston field hockey team had to battle to keep its winning streak alive Tuesday afternoon.

The Blue Devils turned away nine penalty corners in the second half — five in the fourth quarter — to hang on for a 1-0 win over Mt. Blue in a Class A North game.

Lauren Cote scored with 8:10 left in the second quarter to lift Lewiston (5-2), which started the season with two straight loses, to its fifth consecutive win.

“This is our first win against Mt. Blue in a while,” said Cote, a senior forward. “Last year, we lost 8-0. It’s a big improvement.”

After Cote’s goal, the Blue Devils’ defense stood up, particularly senior goalie Shelby Vallee, who made six saves to earn the shutout.

“We kept our composure, especially when the pressure was on,” Cote said. “That was key. And communication was definitely a key.”

Mt. Blue fell to 4-2.

How did they get there?

Strong defense, particularly on penalty corners. Mt. Blue had a 14-9 advantage on corners.

“Our defense (was key) and possession, especially past the 25 (yard line),” said Lewiston junior forward Madeline Andrews. “

Mt. Blue had one last penalty corner at the end of regulation, but the ball got away from the forwards on the inbounds pass, stopping play and ending the game.

“We’ve been practicing on our soccer grass all week preparing to play here,” said Lewiston coach Janessa Talarico. “We’re definitely more confident playing on turf. But being able to practice (on grass) helped it look a little bit better here today.

“This is the first year we returned every defender. I think this shows we have a more senior group.”

Key moment

Cote’s goal came off a penalty corner. She took a pass from Andrews, a transfer from St. Dominic Academy. In a scrum in front of the cage, Cote was able to slip a shot past Mt. Blue goalkeeper Gwen Lesperance.

“We’ve been working on (corners) a lot and we’ve been scoring on them a lot, too,” Cote said. “It was just an insert from Valerie (Potvin), a quick shot in, and it worked.”

Lewiston only had two shots on goal, both in the second quarter.

A move in the standings

Lewiston moved up to No. 4 in the Class A North Heal point standings. The Blue Devils trail Skowhegan (6-0), Mt. Ararat (4-1) and Messalonskee (5-1). Lewiston fell to both Messalonskee and Mt. Ararat at the start of the season before starting its winning streak.

“I think the schedule (has helped), starting out with Messalonskee and Mt. Ararat,” Talarico said. “In previous years, we may have started out with some easier wins. But losing first made us stay hungry and work harder in practice. We were close (in the first two games), so we didn’t lose any confidence. We felt if we could stay with them, we could stay with everybody.”

Lewiston also snapped Mt. Blue’s three-game winning streak. The Cougars are fifth in the Class A North, with wins over Mt. Ararat, Oxford Hills, Brunswick and Brewer.

They said it

“We’re a younger team; we’ve been playing together for three years. We have a couple juniors who have stepped up and we have some key players that we didn’t have last year. We’re taking it day by day, we’re working hard. Everyone is doing as best as they can and it’s working.” — Lauren Cote, on Lewiston’s success during the winning streak.

Statistical leaders

Lewiston: Lauren Cote (1 goal), Madeline Andrews (1 assist), Shelby Vallee (6 saves)

Mt. Blue: Gwen Lesperance (1 save)