AUBURN — Through physical play, high emotion and late-half goals, Edward Little and Lewiston battled to a 1-1 boys soccer draw at Central Maine Community College on Thursday.
Shafi Ibrahim scored for the Blue Devils and Tudum Monday scored the Red Eddies’ goal.
The teams will try to settle this year’s rivalry when they meet again in the regular season finale on Oct. 18 in Lewiston.
After nearly an entire half of scoreless play, Ibrahim scored the first goal with a low shot that across the goal and into the right side of the net after it was tipped by Edward Little goalkeeper Eli St. Laurent, giving Lewiston a 1-0 lead with 2:30 left in the first half.
“You get that energy after scoring the goal,” Lewiston coach Dan Gish said. “They had a lot of opportunities, but Eli makes it tough on you. … It gave us a boost, like any goal, you get a little bounce in your step.”
Outside of the goal at the end of the half, both teams didn’t have much luck getting shots on net. Lewiston had the majority of possession, and four corner kicks, in the half but only managed the one goal.
“Being down one goal, we were pretty happy with where we were at at the half,” Edward Little coach Max Thompson said. “We really tried to not let Shafi beat us. He’s a great player and on that play he got away from us, and he did what good players do.”
The physicality ramped up after halftime.
Edward Little senior Campbell Cassidy earned a yellow card 8:30 into the second half. The game continued to be physical throughout, with multiple fouls called on both teams.
Ben Cole of Edward Little High School takes the ball from Ahmed Abdow of Lewiston High School on Thursday at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Thompson anticipated a physical game due to the style of play in Class A boys soccer.
“We just played Mt. Ararat, they’re physical; we watched Camden Hills, they’re physical, and at this level it’s going to be physical,” Thompson said. “A lot of these guys are putting in big minutes.”
On the other sideline, Gish was OK with most of the physical play.
“Guys are used to physicality, to a certain extent,” Gish said. “I can understand when you’re trying to dispossess the ball that there’s going to be contact. When the ball is not there and you get taken out, that’s the stuff you have to be really careful about. It’s a tactic, but our guys are tough kids, just like (the Red Eddies) are.”
Edward Little had a corner kick with 2:30 left in regulation that was kicked out by a Lewiston defender. The ball went outside the penalty box and found the right foot of defender Tudum Monday, who ripped a shot into the side of the goal to tie the game at 1-1 with 1:57 left.
“What I saw was a player on the defending side kicked it out, and there was a minute left,” Monday said. “We’re down one, and I saw the ball. I stayed up instead of dropping back, and the ball came up to me and I took a touch and I blasted it, and boom, it went in. That’s basically the story.”
Monday’s goal eventually forced overtime.
“A draw is better than a loss,” Thompson said. “We’ve had some tough luck with overtime games in the past, so it was good not to lose. We try not to focus on the result and instead ask ourselves if we are improving. It’s early in the season, so the boys, they’re trying to keep possession, play the right way, and so whether we won or lost we are just trying to get better.”
Lewiston pressed and took a couple of shots in the two overtime periods, but St. Laurent punched a corner kick out and a couple defenders stopped shots to preserve the 1-1 tie.
The Blue Devils also were optimistic after the result.
“I thought we played well defensively,” Gish said. “I thought we were organized and played well attacking-wise. We were connected and these guys are getting better and better. They all play for each other and they’re a good bunch. I’m excited with these guys.”
Monday said that he saw the work the Red Eddies put in over the offseason pay off in Thursday’s game.
“Lewiston is known for being the better team, they’ve won championships and they have a great program, but I would say this year, even through summer, we just developed a good team,” Monday said. “We have been working and working, and people see now that we’re undefeated. We have to remain humble and keep our heads up. Even though Shafi got a good goal I was telling everyone that we have to keep moving forward. We went through so many battles in the summer and look at us now.”
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