SCARBOROUGH — Eighty minutes of regulation followed by 10 minutes of overtime failed to produce a goal between boys’ soccer powers Scarborough and Portland as they played to a 0-0 deadlock Tuesday night.
Both teams had their chances, but the defenses were equal to the task.
Additional Photos
Among the top teams in the SMAA, there’s little to choose, said the coaches.
Portland is the defending Western Class A champion, and Scarborough, was a preseason favorite and last year’s top seed in the tournament.
Scarborough is 3-0-1 and Portland moved to 2-1-1.
This was the only regular-season meeting between the teams.
While the Red Storm left disappointed in the outcome, the Bulldogs may have achieved a moral victory with the tie. Portland’s last win over Scarborough was in the 2003 regular season. The Red Storm had won the last eight matchups.
“It was a great game between two excellent teams,” said Portland Coach Rocco Frenzilli. “I’m proud of the kids.”
After dropping their season opener, the Bulldogs rebounded with two wins, including one over Deering. Frenzilli said the team used the win over Deering as a springboard before facing Scarborough.
“I told the kids that Deering is an excellent team,” he said. “This stretch of games will help us start identifying ourselves.”
Portland faces Gorham on Thursday.
Two of the best scoring chances in the first half were by the Red Storm. Trevor Sparda controlled the ball just outside the circle, turned around the defender and fired a left-footed drive that Portland goalie Chip Weber stretched to knock away.
With less than a minute remaining in the half, Charlie Mader headed a ball just over the crossbar.
“I thought we had the better opportunities,” said Scarborough Coach Mark Diaz. “But they weren’t enough.
“We have to work on getting more chances. The players are pretty down. When you work that hard — and Portland worked just as hard — it’s disappointing not to score.”
At 14:47 of the second half, Austin Downing got loose on a semibreakaway and shot low and hard to the left side, but Weber made a diving save.
With time winding down, Tony Yekeh of Portland headed a shot that went over the crossbar.
With seconds left in the game, Paley Burlin of Portland drilled a free kick that Red Storm goalie Pat Stanton caught waist high. One more kick to midfield and the game was over.
“I’m happy with the way we played, but I’m disappointed with the outcome,” Weber said.
Diaz saw a different strategy from Portland.
“I think Portland took a defensive stance tonight,” said Diaz. “They’re usually a pretty wide-open team. They were dropping a forward into the middle.
“If we play again, we’ll have to make some adjustments.”
A next time would be in the playoffs. Both coaches agreed such a meeting could happen.
The playoff pairings won’t be known until the end of the regular season. Before that happens, Diaz suggested the type of regular season and playoffs he anticipated.
“It’s wide open,” he said.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.