LEWISTON — Payson Goyette kept Camden Hills off the scoreboard.
The Lewiston senior goalkeeper made eight saves for the 1-0 win in a key Class A North showdown at Don Roux Field on Saturday.
Goyotte credited his teammates for the win.
“I thought our team played great. We had a lot of opportunities,” Goyette said. “I thought our team dominated; I did what I had to do.”
Nasip Abdi had the only goal in the first half.
“It was another classic Lewiston-Camden game, both attacking, both getting an edge,” Lewiston coach Dan Gish said. “We had some really good opportunities throughout the game that missed by six inches. I was really happy with the way we played and the way we attacked.”
The Blue Devils (11-1-1) pressured the Windjammers in the offensive zone to start the game. The first quality scoring chance came in the 10th minute when Abdimalik Nur made a low cross in the 18-yard box, but Camden Hills’ defenders cleared the ball out.
Camden Hills (10-3) goalie Brian Leonard stopped Tegre Mbele a second time three minutes later.
“He’s very dynamic, he plays great on the wing and he plays his position well,” Gish said of Mbele. “He’s a very good player technically, and he creates a lot for his team. He’s an unselfish player.”
The Windjammers made a mistake in the box midway through the first half when they got called for a handball, and Abdi took the penalty kick for Lewiston. His shot went into the low left corner as Leonard (12 saves) dove right for a 1-0 lead.
“I was waiting for the moment; I knew I was going to take it,” Abdi said. “I was thinking about burying it and celebrating with my teammates.”
Gish is confident in Abdi’s abilities.
“He’s a very good penalty kick taker,” Gish said. “He’s calm, he got his routine and we trust him.”
Lewiston had a few more opportunities in the following five minutes, but none were high-quality scoring chances.
Camden Hills’ best scoring chance in the first half came in the 32nd minute when Charlie Pons took a 30-yard free kick, but Goyette’s vertical leap cleared the opportunity.
“He had three or four that he topped over the bar on some free kicks,” Gish said. “It was amazing.”
Jasper Hacket had a shot on goal in the third minute of the second half for the Windjammers, but Goyette made a diving save. Liam Day-Lynch put a shot on Goyette a few minutes later and Goyette made another stop.
Camden Hills couldn’t capitalize off Lewiston fouls early in the second half.
“Our defense played great, preventing as many chances as possible,” Goyette said. “So they didn’t give them great shots to shoot.”
Mbele went on a breakaway in the 15th minute of the second half, but the shot went wide of the left post.
Goyette made another leaping save off a header in the box midway through the second. In the 25th minute, with a streaking Cameron Bown coming into the box, Goyotte dove to his left. Brown’s shot was going far post, but Goyette reached back to his right with both hands to make the stop.
“The only thing I was thinking was it was a 1-0 game and I need to keep it that way,” Goyette said of the Brown chance. “I can’t let them back in the game.”
Nur had a 23-yard free kick that went right into the gut of Leonard in the 29th minute.
Lewiston had a golden chance to put the game away in the 34th minute when the Blue Devils directed an aerial pass past Leonard, but Camden Hills’ Finlay Fitchcome ran in to knock the ball out of harm’s way.
The Windjammers had a couple of free kicks in the final minutes off of Lewiston fouls.
Abdi said the team stayed calm in the final few minutes.
“You get frustrated in those moments,” Abdi said. “If you get frustrated, something might happen. You have to stay in the game.”
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