DIXFIELD — Kevin Zembroski scored the lone goal on a deflection midway through the first half and Hall-Dale fended off some late pressure for a 1-0 triumph against Dirigo in an early-season boys’ soccer test.

Dirigo (1-1) and Hall Dale (2-0) each returned several starters from last year and figure to be in the thick of things before it’s over. The Bulldogs beat the Cougars 2-1 in a quarterfinal playoff game on the same field last fall.

”This was a good match-up,” Hall-Dale coach Andy Haskell said. “I knew Dirigo would be ready for us because they were playing at home in an important conference game. In the first half, we created some opportunities, and it paid off.”

Hall-Dale started with a high-intensity attack combined with a strong passing game and advanced the ball directly in to the offensive zone. Zenbroski booted the ball over the crossbar, and Nat Crocker’s low shot was cradled by Dirigo goalie Caleb Turner.

The ball eventually reached the crease and a Cougars defender attempted to clear the zone, but the ball found Zenbroski in the center. The Bulldog striker booted a low shot toward the right corner, which eluded the dive of Turner (9 saves), with 18:16 remaining in the first half.

Dirigo counterattacked, and when Hall-Dale was whistled for an improper charge, Cody St. Germain booted a ball over the cross bar. Chad Snowman broke in on the right side, but Bulldog goalie Zach McNaughton (5 saves) made the save.

“My kids showed a great effort,” Dirigo coach Jack Rioux said. “We are obviously not happy with the results, but they played hard for the entire 80 minutes. There had been glimpses of playing hard during preseason and against Carrabec, so it was great to see.”

The Cougars welcomed back senior defensemen Josh Turbide and Jeremy Briggs, who missed a 7-0 shutout over Carrabec on Tuesday. Together with Garret Carver and Brian Volkernick, the Dirigo defense remained busy.

“The 11 on the field played together as a team,” Rioux said. “It was great to have Josh and Jeremy back, but our defensive pressure prevented Hall-Dale players from squaring up. T.J. Frost did a good job of marking up on (Hall-Dale’s Colin Lush), who had hurt us last year.”

In the second half, Haskell said the action was dominated b the midfielders and this prevented ether team from executing its offense.