OAKLAND—Deering proved it belonged on the biggest stage in boys’ soccer.
But the Rams couldn’t quite figure out a way to bring home a Gold Ball for the first time.
Saturday afternoon on the campus of Messalonskee High School, Deering and Lewiston engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth Class A state final, one which featured twists and turns, dizzying displays of athleticism and skill and heart galore, but despite ample opportunities, the Rams couldn’t go home with the big prize.
Thanks to the Blue Devils’ penchant for making the big play at the big time.
With a dose of good fortune mixed in.
In the game’s 11th minute, senior Tegra Mbele (remember that name) scored on a breakaway to put Lewiston in front.
But Deering answered in the 19th minute, when junior captain Ethan Fisher converted a penalty kick.
The Rams had some other great looks in the first half but couldn’t finish and when Mbele set up senior Mohamed Gabow for another breakway goal late, Lewiston clung to a 2-1 advantage at halftime.
Deering drew even with 24:35 to play, as senior Chandrel Mangele-Laza finished in traffic, but despite some great looks to go on top, the Rams couldn’t do so and the contest would go to overtime.
There, with 1:02 left in the first of a possible two 15-minute, “sudden-victory” OT sessions, Mbele played the hero, finishing again on a breakaway, and the Blue Devils, a little more than two weeks from removed from an unspeakable tragedy which propelled their city into the national headlines, had a 3-2 victory and the Class A state championship.
Just barely, over a valiant Deering squad.
Lewiston finished with a record of 15-2-1, ending the Rams best-ever campaign at 12-4-2.
“Overall, I’m really, really proud of the guys,” said Fisher. “I never thought we’d get this far in the first place, so I’m really appreciative we got here.”
What a ride
Deering came into the season viewed as one of many teams that could win a deep and balanced Class A South and started 6-0-2 (tying Falmouth and South Portland), but the Rams then lost to Scarborough, Windham and Gorham in a four-game stretch before closing strong with wins over Portland and Cheverus (see sidebar for links to previous stories).
As the No. 3 seed, in Class A South, Deering had to go to double-overtime to beat both No. 7 Kennebunk (2-1) in the quarterfinals and seventh-seeded Falmouth (1-0) in the semifinals before taking just 80 minutes to dispatch rival Portland, the No. 4 seed, in Tuesday’s regional final (1-0).
Lewiston, meanwhile, has been a top contender in Class A North for the past decade, but hadn’t been able to advance to states since losing to Falmouth in 2019. The Blue Devils enjoyed a 10-game unbeaten streak in one stretch and wound up 11-2-1, losing only to Brunswick and Edward Little while tying Mt. Ararat.
As the top seed in the region, Lewiston squeaked past No. 8 Mt. Blue, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. The following evening, Lewiston became national news for all the wrong reason and in the aftermath of the mass shooting, which took 18 lives, and the ensuing manhunt, the Blue Devils didn’t return to the pitch for nine days before downing No. 5 Edward Little, 2-1, in the semifinals. Tuesday, in the Class A North Final, Lewiston beat No. 2 Camden Hills, 1-0.
Deering and Lewiston didn’t play this fall. The teams did meet five times previously in the playoffs with the Blue Devils prevailing on three occasions (the Rams’ 8-0 victory in the 2001 Western A preliminary round was the most recent encounter).
While Deering was making its first state game appearance, Lewiston was competing in its seventh, having won three (2015, 2017 and 2018).
Saturday, on a frigid afternoon (38 degrees and windy), in front of a large and vocal crowd, the Rams weren’t fazed by the setting and were every bit the Blue Devils’ equal, if not even better, but ultimately, Lewiston would find a way to win it in dramatic fashion.
Each team had an early corner kick cleared out of harm’s way.
After Deering senior goalkeeper Adao Lufumbo-Mbenza denied a rush by Mbele, senior Benedito Nzeza had a golden scoring opportunity for the Rams in the ninth minute, taking a pass from sophomore Cristiano Afonso and with Blue Devils senior goalkeeper Payson Goyette out of the play, Nzeza had a lot of net to shoot at, but sent the ball just wide.
Lewiston then went on top with 29:19 to go in the half.
After Lufumbo-Mbenza stopped a rush by Mbele, Mbele got another chance off a long pass from junior Annimer Ibrahim, and this time, Mbele fired the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
The Rams would quickly answer.
After Goyette dove to rob Afonso, Fisher was brought down in the box with 21:29 on the clock and a penalty kick was awarded.
“I was meaning to cut back because I’m left footed and play it with my right foot and look for a tap-in, but (the defender) caught the back of my leg and I fell,” Fisher said.
On the ensuing penalty kick, Fisher used his left foot to fire the ball into the right corner to tie the score.
“I’ve been practicing where I wanted to shoot if I got a ‘pen,'” said Fisher. “I had it figured out. It was exciting to score in a state game. When they scored early on us, our team spirit was kind of down, but that got our heads back in the game.”
Five minutes later, Deering came within inches of taking the lead, but freshman Dan Dimandya took a pass from Mangele-Laza and fired a promising shot off the near post.
After Mangele-Laza just missed, senior Nick Simon Mboumba, the hero of the Rams’ regional playoff run, had a shot saved by Goyette.
At the other end, Lufumbo-Mbenza saved shots from Mbele and senior Aristarque Meli.
Then, with just 2:12 on the clock, Mbele set up Gabow for a breakaway opportunity and Gabow finished to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 advantage, which they would take to halftime.
The high drama and good chances continued in the second half.
Early on, Deering’s frustrations continued, as sophomore Ibrahim Abdullahi had a good look in the box deflected wide.
With 35:35 remaining, momentum turned after Mbele came within inches of giving Lewiston some breathing room, only to send an open look off the far post.
After Goyette dove to rob Abdullahi, Goyette went sprawling to deny a long skidding shot from junior captain Peter Sargent.
But with 24:35 to play, Goyette couldn’t do anything as Sargent sent the ball in to Mboumba and it deflected right to Mangele-Laza, who eluded a defender, then pounded it home to tie the score, 2-2, before punctuating his strike with a flip celebration.
The Rams hoped to finish it off in regulation, but off a corner kick, Mboumba’s serve hit the post, two more Deering corner kicks didn’t result in a shot, a long free kick from freshman Nathan Dimandya was punched out by Goyette, then a late Mboumba free kick was blocked, sending the contest to overtime.
Early in OT, a Mangele-Laza rush was broken up, then at the other end, Deering senior Motasim Abdalla broke up a Lewiston chance at the last second.
After sophomore Abdimalik Nur missed wide for the Blue Devils, Lufumbo-Mbenza denied Gabow to keep the game alive.
The Rams earned a corner kick and the ball deflected out to Sargent, who had a shot blocked.
With 2:20 on the clock, Mboumba nearly ended it, but he was robbed by Lewiston senior back Mustafa Hassan.
After Goyette saved a bid from Afonso on the run, the Blue Devils countered one final time.
And ended it.
The ball would be sent ahead by Gabow and Mbele, behind the defense, ran on to it, dribbled in and fired a shot into the net and at 2:48 p.m., the Blue Devils had an unforgettable 3-2 victory.
“It’s very happy for me to score two goals,” Mbele said, through Meli, his translator. “It brings me joy to score in a final like this. It was the joy we brought to the fans, which made them go crazy. We just wanted to give back to the city with all they have gone through. It brings me great joy and to everyone who made it happen.”
“We have been saying the past few weeks, ‘Do it for the city,’” Goyette said. “It feels great to win for the city and bring some good to the city.”
“Oh, my God, that was insane,” Lewiston coach Dan Gish added. “It was awesome. It was euphoric. We have been working on his finish all year and boy did he finish.”
The Blue Devils got 13 saves from Goyette, many of clutch variety.
What-if
Deering had a 15-10 advantage in shots on frame, got seven saves from Lufumbo-Menza and took seven corner kicks to Lewiston’s one, but fell agonizingly short.
“We’ve had better games finishing,” Fisher lamented. “We hit the post multiple times. We lacked composure in front of the net. We showed moments where we controlled the game, then we had silly mistakes that led to counterattack goals. We should have fixed that the first time it happened.”
“I know the guys are disappointed, but I’m insanely proud of them,” said Rams coach Joel Costigan. “I’m especially disappointed, but happy for the run we were able to make. It’s a long season. We had guys playing through injuries and giving their all. Winning a championship is about skill and luck.
“It was a great game. We had a lot of opportunities. Close-range opportunities, shots off the post. They had three breakaways and they put them away. The same type of goal on each play. There was fatigue at the end of the game. We got a little too flat and it’s hard to stay disciplined an entire game when there’s a team as fast as Lewiston is. You have to be on point all the time. They were able to transition through the middle of the field before we could sub. It’s not the result we expected. We had more opportunities, but we just didn’t capitalize.”
Graduation will claim many of the Rams’ finest players, but the cupboard won’t be bare in 2024 and Deering will be back to look to finish the job that this special squad started.
“I think we’ll still have a decent squad next year,” said Fisher. “I’ll put in a lot of winter and spring work. I’m excited.”
“We’ll be back,” Costigan said. “We have a lot of good returners.”
Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier contributed to this story.
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023
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