SCARBOROUGH — The vocal student cheering sections and cool night air helped provide a playoff feel Thursday night.
Most of all it was the all-out effort between unbeaten boys’ soccer teams from Gorham and Scarborough that created a tournament-level tension.
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The only thing missing was a winner. That may have to wait until the real Western Class A tournament because these two youthful teams walked away with a 1-1 tie.
“Every time we come here it feels like playoffs,” said Gorham goalkeeper Trenton Bassingthwaite. “The defense played really well. We slipped up a little on that one (goal) but we were solid.”
Both teams start three seniors. Gorham is 7-0-2 and Scarborough is 6-0-1 after its first overtime of the season.
“I still have a young team and they haven’t been in an overtime game, some of them, and not at this pace,” Scarborough Coach Mark Diaz said. “It’s a fast-paced game and it was new to them so we’re trying to learn.”
Gorham scored first when Tyler Richman converted a rebound off a save by Scarborough goalie Sam Warren in the 31st minute. That came just two minutes after Bassingthwaite had gotten just enough to deflect a flick by Jake Kacer that appeared headed toward the top left corner.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Matt Caron of the Red Storm ripped a shot off the far post, then blasted another bid over the goal.
Garrett King of Scarborough tied it in the 45th minute when he was able to win a race with Bassingthwaite to Sam Ware’s pass, touch the ball around the charging goalie, then knock it in with his right foot.
“It’s all about the touch and the finish,” King said.
“I was surprised it wasn’t offside but it was a good ball in.”
Both keepers made tie-preserving saves down the stretch.
Warren was able to scramble across the goal mouth to boot the ball away with a sliding save just before Nate Roberts was able to get a touch.
In the final minute of regulation, Bassingthwaite had to leap to punch Ware’s drilled shot from 30 yards over the crossbar.
In the first overtime, Warren twice rushed off his line to snuff dangerous bids.
The first came from impressive Gorham center midfielder Cody Elliott after he had turned the corner and gotten to the near post, then as Richman was winding up his right foot from 10 yards out.
“We want to play these type of games,” Bassingthwaite said. “We keep getting better. This was a good step forward for us.”
Throughout the game, both teams displayed similar hard-working styles that emphasized pressuring the opponent into making quick decisions with stout defenses that included forwards willing to mark back.
“Every time we play (Scarborough) it’s going to be a battle,” Gorham Coach Tim King said. “Both teams had good chances to score and win the game, and we just had that five minutes where they came out to start the second half and really got on us.”
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