HAMPDEN – It was a game that lived up to its lofty expectations.

Hampden Academy’s Broncos, one of the top teams in Eastern Maine Class A, received a late first-half goal from senior striker Amy-Jo Crawford and survived a furious Mount Desert Island rally to edge one of Eastern B’s best teams 1-0 Thursday .

MDI senior striker Katy Lawson had a chance to equalize from the penalty spot with 3:40 left, but sailed her penalty kick over the crossbar.

“I wanted to put it anywhere but there,” said a teary-eyed Lawson. “I was trying to go lower left.”

“I went to jump, but I saw it was going over the crossbar. I was happy,” said Hampden sophomore goalie Sarah Fraunhofer.

Hampden junior sweeper Brie Drummond had surrendered the penalty kick by hauling down speedy MDI junior wing Maija Kaldro on a breakaway.

That was one of few mistakes on the evening for Drummond, who was nothing short of sensational. MDI had a decided edge in speed on the flanks, but Drummond continually broke plays up to thwart potential high-percentage scoring chances.

“Brie has played a stellar season,” said Hampden coach Randy Dodge, whose Broncos improved to 9-1 while beating 8-2 MDI for the second time.

Drummond said, “We all had to step it up against this team. They’re really fast and they played really hard. I think we all played well.”

Hampden took six shots at goal in the game’s first four minutes, but MDI’s speed and depth began to take its toll on the Broncos in the second half as they desperately pressed for the equalizer.

Crawford’s goal came with 6:06 left in the first half.

MDI fullback Erin Fernald tried to clear a waist-high ball but had the ball roll off the side of her leg and slip behind her, where the unmarked Crawford ran onto it.

“All I know is there were a bunch of people in a line and, all of a sudden, the ball went up and over everyone,” said Crawford. “I just kind of went out ahead of it and I tried to get a good hit on it. I saw the goalie [Lacey Richards] coming out, but she was hesitant. So I just tried to put it in the corner.”

Late in the second half, Fraunhofer raced off her line to stuff a clean break-in off the left flank by Maija Kaldro.

“Usually my defense angles her off and I’ll stay back in case she crosses it,” said Fraunhofer. “This time, she had gotten by, so I knew if I didn’t come out, she’d put it into the near side. When she let it go, I just tried to react to it. I got my right thigh on it.”

Moments later, Fraunhofer came out to kick away a potential high-percentage opportunity before Kaldro could run on to it.

Fraunhofer finished with seven saves on 14 shots while MDI’s Richards stopped four of 18 shots.

“I couldn’t be happier. I was tremendously pleased with the way we played,” said MDI coach Greg Linscott, who praised the effort turned in by junior sweeper Kelly Reed.

“Both teams definitely stepped to the table for this game tonight,” said Dodge.