SKOWHEGAN — Paula Doughty has been shuffling her defense around throughout the season, finding the right players to thwart an opponent’s offensive attack.

On Thursday afternoon, defense earned the Skowhegan field hockey team a victory.

The River Hawks turned away three penalty corners in the final eight minutes to earn a 1-0 win over Lawrence in a Class A/B crossover matchup. The win is Skowhegan’s third straight since a 2-1 overtime loss to Messalonskee on Sept. 24 and the second one-goal victory in that stretch.

“It’s a huge win for us,” said Doughty, the longtime Skowhegan head coach. “(Lawrence) is a much more seasoned team than we are. … I’m happy with the win, but we’re definitely young.

“(The defense) is just so young, but they keep it together,” Doughty continued. “I’ve just been throwing people in. I get one person to try it, ask another, ‘Hey, do you want to (play defense),’ and we’ll throw another one out there. I think it’s good for them, because they’re still in learning mode and then they come off (the field) and go, ‘This is (the position to play),’ and I give them another try.”

Sydalia Savage scored the lone goal for Skowhegan (7-2) early in the third quarter on a penalty corner. Charlotte Haynie and Ellie Quinn each had assists for the River Hawks. Goalkeeper Kayori Kenyon had four saves to earn the shutout.

“(Lawrence) is a very good team, they’re always super competitive,” Savage said. “It’s nice to take the win home.”

Abbey Stewart had one save for Lawrence (7-2-1).

The Bulldogs were light on scoring opportunities in the first half but managed three of their five penalty corners in the fourth quarter. Lawrence’s mission was to get the ball to its top scorer, Maddie Niles, but Quinn, a senior midfielder for Skowehegan, dropped back, serving as a mark on Niles, with help from sophomore back Lillian Smith.

“We studied (Lawrence’s) corners a little bit and got familiar with what they usually like to do,” Savage said. “We were able to pull it off very well.”

Savage’s goal on one of Skowhegan’s four corners. Savage managed to find room in front of Stewart and pushed the ball hard into the cage.

“Our first halves are still (a work in progress),” Savage said. “But we’ve been showing up in the second half and playing really hard.”

The outcome snapped Lawrence’s three-game win streak. The Bulldogs have struggled on natural surfaces this season, as both of their losses and lone tie came on grass fields.

“I’m actually happier after this loss than I have been (in any other loss),” said Lawrence head coach Shawna Robinson. “I felt we played good. Right now, we’re just preaching clock management and (urgency). But I’m really proud of them.

“We’ve really struggled on grass,” Robinson continued. “We don’t practice or play on it, so it’s the reverse (from a normal season). We want to finish top four or five (in the conference) so we can host (a playoff game) on turf, but it’s going to be hard. Class B is a juggernaut right now.”

Because of an unplayable field at Lawrence High School, the Bulldogs have played their home games this season at Colby College, Thomas College and Messalonskee High School, which all use turf fields.

Niles is closing in on a landmark, as she is three goals away from the 100th goal of her career.