LEWISTON – On a night when the ghosts and goblins were out collecting candy, the Lewiston High School boys soccer team scored the least scary goal of the season.

A penalty kick goal just 1:47 into the second half by Joel Musese was the only score, and the Blue Devils survived a late-game opportunity by Mt. Ararat for a 1-0 victory in the Class A North Regional Final at Don Roux Field Wednesday night.

In a contest that featured back-and-forth play and solid defense, the Blue Devils took advantage of their best opportunity to score, then watched nervously as Eagles senior standout Travis Nadeau had his last second shot smothered by Lewiston goaltender Dido Lumu.

A journey that began for Mt. Ararat head coach Jack Rioux and his 14 seniors four seasons ago didn’t end the way the Eagles wanted. However, there was nothing wrong with the effort by the second-seeded visitors, who finished 13-3-1.

“They left it all on the field. I can’t say enough. I will miss those 14 seniors,” said Rioux.  ”Those seniors talked me into coaching. I had them in school as eighth graders, and they said they are going to be good. I can’t say enough about them.”

The winning play began with a solid individual effort.

“We wanted to switch the ball a little bit more and take advantage of that high pressure,” said Lewiston (15-0-2) coach Mike McGraw. “When Suab (Nur) made that run and he got in the box, he created a good opportunity. Then Joel hit a great penalty kick. The kids decided what they were going to do, and they did the job and took care of it.”

“They got their chance, they scored on it. They got a PK, and it is what it is. I think we’re just as good and we gave it all that we had,” Rioux said.

Trailing 1-0, Mt. Ararat began pushing more players forward, trying to break through the stout defense of Lewiston, along with Lumu, who had nine saves as the Eagles finished with a 9-6 shot advantage.

“He is not just a big goalie, he is a goalie,” Rioux said of Lumu. “On all of our set pieces, we tried to put it out near the top of the 18 or drive it at him. If we didn’t, he would come out and grab the ball. He is good.”

Mt. Ararat had its chances, especially in the first half when the Eagles fired the first four shots on goal, led by Nadeau, Max Spelke and Ethan Rac.

“We knew we could create some opportunities and we did get some looks, but Lewiston’s defense is tough, especially number 5 (Mardoche Kikobo) and number 17 (Henok Citenga).”

Most of Lewiston’s chances either sailed wide of James Singleton’s goal, with the Mt. Ararat senior netminder make three saves in the first 40 minutes.

“In the first half, we knew Mt. Ararat was going to come out firing on all cylinders, full speed and with pressure,” said McGraw. “I told them to hold on for 10 minutes and let it settle, but they pressured for more than 20 minutes. We began to loosen up and connect later in the half.”

As the time ticked toward zero in the second half, Lewiston cleared the ball deep into Mt. Ararat territory, seemingly ending the game. However, the Eagles transitioned quickly to offense, and a foul 22 yards from the Blue Devil goal gave Mt. Ararat a chance with five seconds left.

There was little doubt that Nadeau was going to take the shot.

“Five seconds felt like five hours. Nadeau is so dangerous,” McGraw said.

Nadeau’s shot curled around Lewiston’s four-man wall, but right at perfectly positioned Lumu, who pinned the ball on the turf as the horn sounded, setting off a Blue Devil celebration.

“I am unbelievably proud. With five seconds to go, we had a chance to make something good happen, then we’re talking overtime. They left it all out there,” said an emotional Rioux.

Spelke was one of the 14 seniors that talked Rioux into changing from a soccer official to Mt. Ararat’s leader.

“It was really fun, playing soccer with my best friends,” Spelke said. “Coach Rioux has built a great program, and they will be good for years to come. Both teams played their hearts out, and Lewiston came out on top today, it just didn’t go our way.”

Singleton finished with five saves, while Lewiston held a 2-0 edge in corner kicks.

The Blue Devils face Class A South champ Gorham (a 1-0 victor over Portland) on Saturday at McMann Field in Bath at 12:30 p.m. for the State Class A title

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