Two quick goals by Lewiston’s Bilal Hersi finally put Brunswick away in the Class A North boys high school soccer quarterfinal at Garcelon Field on Wednesday night.
“We controlled the ball. I think we put a little more pressure on them than they’re used to, and we wore them down,” Lewiston coach Mike McGraw said. “You could tell at the end we were on a roll.
The Blue Devils kept the ball in the Dragons’ end of the field for most of the first half, but they struggled to create quality chances.
They finally broke through with 1:44 remaining in the first half when Noralddin Othman took a loose ball outside the box and booted a line drive into the back of the net.
“The first goal was kind of like pulling teeth,” McGraw said. “We were close and we just didn’t get the combination. We had a lot of chances, we had a lot of territory advantage, but they didn’t let us do some of the things that we would like to do. Plus, I think we were a little conservative.
“When we got that first goal, we could breathe a little better, we could relax a little bit more, and I think that allowed us to play a little more fluid.”
Less than a minute later, Warsame Ali almost put another one in the goal. He didn’t, but Lewiston was on a roll.
“After we get one goal, the hype goes up, and that’s how we get more goals,” Lewiston senior Muktar Ali said.
The roll continued into the second half. Three minutes in, Ali faked one defender off the ball and fired it into the goal to make the Blue Devils’ lead 2-0.
“I saw an opening in the net, so I just took it,” Ali said.
The two teams alternated opportunities for most of the half, until with about 15 minutes left, the ball awkwardly stayed in Lewiston’s box for too long. Brunswick finally capitalized when Everett Horch snuck the ball past a defender and then past Blue Devils goalkeeper Dido Lumu with 14:28 to play.
“In the second half, knowing we had a two-goal lead, I think we got a little bit too comfortable,” McGraw said. “And you can’t get comfortable with Brunswick, they’re really good. They’re too good. You let them take an advantage, they will take an advantage. If you give something to them where they can use it, they will use it.”
The Dragons (7-7-1) have been rallying all season, but the comeback was not to be Wednesday.
“I’m proud of the guys, I’m proud of the way we finished the season,” Brunswick coach Mark Roma said. “We started 0-5, to pull ourselves out the way they did, I think they did themselves proud.”
Lewiston slowly regained control of the game, finally putting it away with Hersi’s goals with 4:35 and 3:55 remaining.
“As the game went on and on, I got more and more chances,” Hersi said. “I knew I was going to get my goal in the end.”
Lewiston will face either Edward Little or Camden Hills in the semifinals Saturday, again at Garcelon Field. The Red Eddies and Windjammers play each other at Garcelon Field today at 2:30 p.m.
Hersi said the Blue Devils will need more of a complete effort in Saturday’s semifinal.
“If you go ahead, don’t become complacent, make sure keep attacking, attacking, attacking the whole game, 100 percent the whole game,” he said.
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