As the Huron field hockey team attempted to preserve its 1-0 lead over cross-town rival Pioneer on Tuesday night, time felt like it was standing still for the River Rats.

And if you looked at the scoreboard at Huron High School’s Riverbank Stadium, it actually was.

For the last minute of field hockey games, the scoreboard’s clock is turned off and official time is kept on the field. As a Pioneer counterattack attempt resulted in a foul deep in Huron territory in the final minute, the frozen clock almost seemed like a cruel joke.

No matter how many times the River Rats defense turned Pioneer away, there the clock stood, with one minute still remaining.

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But when the final whistle finally blew, the Huron defense had held strong - not even allowing a shot on net during the final push - and preserving the 1-0 win.

“I was so nervous,” said Huron defender/midfielder Lexi Collins of Pioneer’s final push at the end. Collins scored the game winning goal 10 minutes into the second half. “We’ve worked so hard for this and both team played a great game I’m just so proud of my team for pulling it out.”

Field hockey games don’t exactly get the biggest fanfare, but those who were there knew how significant the win was, and rushed the field to celebrate with the ecstatic players.

“It’s like another win but it’s exciting because Pioneer is such an awesome program with amazing coaches and a great team,” said Huron defender Anna Masini. “They’ve been such a powerhouse, so it was nice to finally just show, I mean we’ve been able to compete, but it’s nice to show that we can really get there.”

Pioneer (5-1) has won five consecutive state championships, and Huron has been its opponent in the finals the past two seasons, so the fans decided to celebrate Huron’s first win in the rivalry since 2004 side-by-side with players and coaches.

“This feel great and it’s more about the fact that they did it together,” said Huron coach Tia Sutton. “One of our captains said ‘usually when we play Pioneer one person stands out, but tonight I truly believe no one stood out.’

“It was just a total team effort. They wanted this win and they did it together as a team.”

The defense of both teams stood out throughout the game. On the rare occasion that brilliant individual efforts led to a bit of space, rarely could the midfielder or forward who had penetrated the defense get a shot off uncontested.

The first half ended with just one shot on goal for each team.

The game opened up more in the second half and Huron’s Taylor Standiford nearly broke the standstill just two minutes in. Standiford beat a pair of defenders with some nifty stick work then got a shot off, but Pioneer goalie Emma Hamstra made a diving save to keep the score 0-0.

Eight minutes later, Huron (6-0) capitalized on a corner situation. After sending the ball into play from the end-line, Collins stayed on the back post. After the entire Pioneer defense and Hamstra shifted to defend Collins’ initial pass, Lilia Bouzit crossed the ball to the far side of the net where Collins was able to tap it into an open net.

“When it went to the backboard, my heart sank and it was just the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life and just to know that I did that for my team was just amazing,” Collins said.

Pioneer’s best chance to equalize came off the ensuing restart. The Huron defense seemed caught off guard as Pioneer rushed straight from the center pass toward goal, but River Rat goalie Tori Westhead laid out to preserve the shutout.

It ended up being Pioneer’s last shot on goal.

“Our team knows how to get up better than any team," said Pioneer coach Jane Nixon. “That’s what being a competitor is about, you win some and the ones you lose you learn from and it makes you better, it makes you stronger.

“We have some great athletes in Ann Arbor, so it’s fun to compete against each other. It was a great night for field hockey.”

Westhead and Hamstra both finished with four saves.

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.