  Following up on hints of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background
radiation (CMB) data, we investigate locally rotational symmetric (LRS) Bianchi
type I spacetimes with non-minimally coupled scalar fields. To single out
potentially more interesting solutions, we search for Noether symmetry in this
system. We then specialize to the Brans-Dicke (BD) field in such a way that the
Lagrangian becomes degenerate (nontrivial) and solve the equations for Noether
symmetry and the potential that allows it. Then we find the exact solutions of
the equations of motion in terms of three parameters and an arbitrary function.
We illustrate with families of examples designed to be generalizations of the
well-known power-expansion, exponential expansion and Big Rip models in the
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) framework. The solutions display surprising
variation, a large subset of which features late-time acceleration as is
usually ascribed to dark energy (phantom or quintensence), and is consistent
with observational data.
