AUBURN — Bragging rights and a whole lot of Heal Points were at stake Tuesday.
Both the Lewiston and Edward Little boys’ soccer teams were hoping to make a statement in a showdown to end the regular season. Instead, the two rivals settled for a hard-fought 0-0 tie.
Lewiston (11-1-2) controlled play and outshot EL 21-3, but couldn’t finish off the numerous shots it generated.
“We had the chances and the opportunities,” Lewiston coach Mike McGraw said. “A few chances were misplayed. A few chances (EL keeper Lew) Jensen took away. EL had some timely clears. EL played good defense. They did what they had to do. We had multiple chances, but we just didn’t finish.”
The Blue Devils may have had a chance to secure the top seed in Eastern A. With the tie and Hampden’s overtime win over Bangor, that might not be possible.
“We’re going to let the Heal Points be determined and meet (Wednesday) and see what happens,” McGraw said.
If Lewiston lands in second, that would likely mean a quarterfinal game with seventh-ranked Messalonskee.
EL (8-3-3) might have jumped in the standings with a win but may settle for the fifth spot they were in already.
“I thinking coming in we were pretty comfortable in fifth, and I think after this game we’re still pretty comfortable in fifth,” EL coach Matt Andreasen said. “I think coming in fourth or fifth is going to be us and Mt. Ararat. So these points may be insurance points for us to secure fifth.”
Mt. Ararat defeated Brunswick on Tuesday, so the Eagles could land third and draw EL in the quarterfinals next week.
Lewiston was playing without forward Abdibaari Hersi, who was injured in practice Monday. He gave warmups a try Tuesday but opted not to play. Hersi had the lone goal in Lewiston 1-0 win over EL earlier in the year.
The Blue Devils got some solid play from Abdulkarim Abdulle in the middle and some chances from Abdi-Shariff Hassan and Kwebena Akuffo-Anoff but just could beat Jensen, who finished with eight saves for his seventh shutout of the season.
EL was solid defensively but could only generate a handful of prime chances. Bradley Morissette had a nice bid go wide and Lewiston keeper Austin Wing made two saves for the Blue Devils’ seventh shutout.
“You play a team that’s better, you just need to be opportunistic regardless of whether you have one chance or 19 chances,” Andreasen said. “You have to take advantage of the opportunities. We were good enough defensively, but offensively, we weren’t opportunistic.”
Lewiston outshot EL 10-2 in the first half. Though the Blue Devils controlled play, they couldn’t produce a great chance to test Jensen. Meanwhile, EL had a couple of counter attacks that created some pressure.
“In my two years here and the eight halves we’ve had against Lewiston, I think that first half was the most competitive,” Andreasen said. “They were still the stronger side, but we pressed for it and had some chances.”
In the second half, EL’s defense did a better job slowing down the speedy Lewiston attack and lessened the number of chances early on. The Blue Devils finished strong and seemed poised to finish off a chance.
“I didn’t think we were pressing either,” McGraw said. “We had great chances, and they just didn’t go.”
Gage Cote had a bid off a miss kick, but Jensen charged out to secure the ball. Abdulle set up Abdi-Shariff Hassan for shot. Akuffo-Anoff had a pair of tries that went wide. Maslah Hassan had a shot go over the net, and Abdulle had a header that was too high. Abdi-Shariff Hassan had a point-blank bid in the final minute that Jensen stopped.
EL had a couple tries late in regulation. Luke Sterling’s hustle created a corner that the Red Eddies could capitalize on. Ben Steele had a drive toward the net that Wing made the save on.
In overtime, Maslah Hassan had a header saved and a rush between two defenders that Jensen broke up. Abdulle did some nice work in the left corner for a cross that couldn’t be converted late in the second overtime.
“The second half the legs got a little tired and defensively, we got a little sloppy,” Andreasen said.
kmills@sunjournal.com
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- Edward Little’s Luke Sterling fights to get in front of Lewiston’s Abdi-Shariff Hassan as he heads the ball away from the two during the first half of their game Tuesday in Auburn. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
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- Ben Steele , left, and Noor Abdullahi race to be the first to the ball during the first half of their game Tuesday in Auburn. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
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- Evan Raymond keeps the ball from getting close to the net during a match-up against the Blue Devils Tuesday in Auburn.
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- Edward Little’s Luke Sterling and Lewiston’s Abdi-Shariff Hassan jump to head the ball in unison during the first half of their game Tuesday in Auburn. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
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- Ben Steele, left, and Noor Abdullahi fight over the ball during the first half of their game Tuesday in Auburn. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
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