SOUTH PORTLAND — Before the first half was over it was clear that one goal would likely decide Friday’s boys’ soccer game between Deering and South Portland.

The game was so evenly matched, each shot attempt seemed to come after extended effort, and very few were on the frame.

The game was still scoreless into overtime, and then Deering’s Jonata Mbongo buried his one good chance, a pinballing rebound near the left post, for the 1-0 win.

Mbongo’s first goal of the season (and second in the sophomore’s career) pushed the Rams to 7-0-1 and made his coach look pretty wise, too.

“Jonata’s normally a center back but we had to move him up today because we were missing our center midfielder,” Deering Coach Joel Costigan said.

At halftime, Costigan decided Mbongo would serve the team better as a forward.

“It was just based on how we were playing and what we needed,” Costigan said.

Mbongo took a ball that caromed out of a mid-goal pack in front of South Portland goalie Henry Curran. Mbongo’s cleanly struck right-foot shot gave Curran no chance to recover.

“Coach just put me up on offense,” Mbongo said. “The ball just came to me and I saw my chance and I took my chance. It’s so amazing. It’s an amazing moment.”

South Portland dropped to 3-3-1.

“You obviously want to get the result,” South Portland Coach Bryan Hoy said. “At the same time, I’m really proud of how we played. Deering is an outstanding team, the best team we’ve played this year, and to take them to overtime, that’s a positive.”

The Red Riots matched Deering in scoring opportunities and kept Stephen Ochan under wraps for most of the game.

“We’ve all seen Stephen Ochan hit balls from 35 yards out and score and we weren’t going to let him do that,” Hoy said. “Khalid (Suja) and Andrew Whipple were terrific on him. (Ochan is) the best player in the conference and I don’t even know if there’s a second.”

The Riots played the last 20 minutes of regulation and all of overtime without top scoring threat Ahmed Suja, who stayed on the bench after he received a yellow card. He nearly created a goal minutes earlier but was stopped by goalie Orey Dutton.

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