The season started with two losses in its first three games.
That’s not exactly what the Lewiston boys’ soccer team had in mind for this fall. The Blue Devils had nine players back and enough speed to leave most of the KVAC behind.
But an opening night loss to Morse and then another defeat at the hands of Brunswick had Lewiston stumbling out of the gate. It didn’t take long for the Blue Devils to hit their stride.
With the soccer Heal Points finalized Wednesday, Lewiston (12-2) was ranked second in Eastern A and poised to go further than last year’s early exit. The Blue Devils won nine games last fall, but lost a heartbreaker to Erskine in the quarterfinals.
This Lewiston club could be one of the best it has had in recent years and might be a team to beat in Eastern A. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with 11 consecutive wins.
Lewiston displayed a persistent and speedy offensive attack, while boasting a very solid defense. The Blue Devils scored 41 goals and allowed just six — only three in the last 11 games. The Blue Devils posted nine shutouts, including five straight at one point.
Lewiston hosts seventh-ranked Messalonskee (7-6-1) in a quarterfinal next Wednesday.
Mt. Blue (7-4-3) earned the sixth seed and plays at third-ranked Brunswick (11-3) in the quarterfinals.
In Western C, the St. Dom’s boys were gunning for the top seed for much of the year. It came down to overtime Tuesday when Wiscasset ended the Saints lengthy unbeaten streak in the MVC, forcing St. Dom’s (12-1-1) to settle for second. It might not be such a bad place for the Saints. Top-ranked Wiscasset (13-0-1) draws North Yarmouth Academy (7-5-1) in the first round. The Saints beat NYA in the regional final last year.
“You never know how things shape up in the playoffs,” said St. Dom’s coach Matt Erickson. “This could actually work to our advantage in terms of seedings. I wouldn’t want NYA in the first game, and (Wiscasset) hasn’t seen NYA yet. They won’t like that matchup.”
The Saints draw No. 7 Telstar (8-4-2), which St. Dom’s beat 2-0 in the regular season. After having to rally late to force overtime against the Redskins, it might have been the kind of test the Saints needed prior to the tournament.
“We haven’t had to play with heart this year, and we did (Tuesday),” said Erickson. “Sometimes we’d come out lackadaisical and that’s not a good pattern to get into. It’s nice to have to be ready for every game.”
Waynflete should be another team to watch in the Western C field. The Flyers (10-1-2) took third and host sixth-seeded Mt. Abram (5-3-6). Dirigo (10-2-2) finished fourth and hosts a solid Hall-Dale (10-4) club.
First, the Cougars play for another MVC title at 6 p.m. tonight at Hosmer Field in Rumford. Dirigo lost to St. Dom’s on the conference game last year and play a Redskin club it lost to 3-1 last month.
In Western D, Buckfield (7-4-1) finished the regular season 4-0-1 in its last five outings. That put the Bucks in the fifth spot and in a semifinal against Greater Portland Christian (6-6-1).
In Western B, Oak Hill (7-6-1) only had a few returning seniors, but managed to reach the quarterfinals for the second straight year. The Raiders play at top-ranked Yarmouth (13-0-1). Sixth-seed Gray-New Gloucester (9-5) travels to No. 3 Falmouth (9-4-1).
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