Field hockey is a notoriously low scoring game. Play solid defense, score a goal, and there’s a good chance you can leave the field with a victory.

A look at losses to Hopkinton (1-0) and Hanover (1-0) proves the point, and also shows just how close Coach Pam Manley’s team is to being 7-1 instead of 5-3.

Last week the Lady Dragons pulled off a pair of shutout wins of their own as they swept Silver Lake in an away-and-home series, 2-0 and 3-0.

Monday’s game with the Lakers was torture for goaltender Caitlin Lewis, as she was forced to make 32 saves against a Dragons offense that had scored 13 goals in its two previous wins.

First-half goals by Mimi Smith and Tracy Clough was all Duxbury would need, as they held the Lakers without a shot.

STUCK IN A CORNER: Cassandra Nissi takes a corner during Friday’s 3-0 Patriot League win over Silver Lake.

Silver Lake had a chance for revenge on Friday afternoon when they traveled to Duxbury, but the results weren’t much different.

The Lady Dragons dominated play once again, as the Duxbury defense got into the act offensively with sophomore defender Siobhan McCarthy scoring the winning goal at 26:31 of the first half.

Despite their lopsided edge in play, the Lady Dragons had a hard time finishing on their many opportunities, but finally capitalized on one with 4:58 to play in the half when Smith redirected a Diamond O’Donovan shot over the head of goaltender Paisley Kirkland.

After a dominating first half that saw Duxbury unleash 16 shots on the Laker net, the Lady Dragons still weren’t out of the woods, as goaltender Julia Hannon was forced to make two point-blank saves midway through the second half that could have tied the game.

The Duxbury defense was able to blunt the Laker offense the rest of the way, but it wasn’t without some effort, as the visitors had momentum on their side in the second half before Smith notched her second of the game after a strong rush up field by freshman Grace Nissi.

“Our defense has really come together and it’s a very offensive defense,” said Manley. “McCarthy and Anie Grunwald have been switching back and forth and working up so that one of them is always pushing up near midfield, so it’s like having an offensive-minded team all the way back through the defense. We can continue to win this way, but when we get into the games with Hanover and teams like that, we just need things to click more up front.”

It will be an interesting week for the Lady Dragons, as Manly gets a chance to see if her front line can click on Wednesday afternoon when the team travels to Hanover in a key Patriot League game, followed on Friday with a non-league battle.