AUBURN — Nur Haji’s goal with 14 seconds left in the game finished off a 3-0 win for the Lewiston boys soccer team over Edward Little on Tuesday in the teams’ final game of the regular season.

While the Blue Devils’ (12-2-1) victory was already sealed thanks to earlier goals by Tegra Mbele and Joyce Lufutila, for Haji, the late-game goal was the perfect way to end his final regular season.

“I was talking to Dan (Gish) the whole game, and I told him to set me up, because they were giving me a lot of space,” Haji, a senior, said. “I knew if he played me through, I would get an easy goal, and it felt great. It’s the last game of the season and I just wanted to have fun.

“I wanted to put the icing on the cake and finish up the game, and that’s just what I did.”

Haji said that when he got the through ball in an isolated one-on-one situation with a defender, he knew he could make the shot.

“He doesn’t usually play up top, but he’s a motor, so he’s an electric spark plug,” Lewiston coach Dan Gish said of Haji. “He always works so hard, but he finished, and it was great. It’s all out, you’re just wanting it sometimes. It was good to see him score, he’s a senior and he’s an ultimate team guy.”

Advertisement

Mbele scored with 11:31 remaining in the first half, and Lufutila with 13:25 remaining in the game. Lufutila’s goal was assisted by Annimer Ibrahim.

“We did the best, and I scored one goal off one assist, and I am so very happy for that,” Lufutila said. “Thank you to everyone on my team.”

Gish said emotions are usually high in the Battle of the Bridge games between the Twin Cities rivals, which resulted in a rushed playing style right off the bat. Once the Blue Devils settled the ball and made smarter passes, they started to generate scoring opportunities.

“Our passing wasn’t up to par, but we eventually settled down,” Gish said. “Then, we started to change some things the way we attacked, and we started finding we had opportunities that were very close. I give (Edward Little) credit, they hung in there.”

At halftime, Gish said he told the team to “turn up the intensity,” and to give the Red Eddies less time with the ball.

“We started to attack a little differently and we started to move the ball, and we were more mobile and we were supporting the ball better,” Gish said. “Our passes were more accurate.”

Advertisement

Ibrahim was awarded the player of the game award ball at the conclusion of the game during a special presentation by the Maine Army National Guard. He said the acknowledgement “meant a lot,” especially in a big rivalry game against the Red Eddies (8-5-1).

Edward Little coach Max Thompson said the difference between the Sept. 13 4-0 loss to Lewiston and Tuesday’s 3-0 loss was the Red Eddies increased intensity. Thompson said he did not “love the final score,” but he felt good about the way the team played.

“We’ve seen the way that other teams have played that are doing well, and the biggest gap between us and them is, is just our quickness to the ball,” Thompson said. “I think that the boys, each one, just brought a level of intensity that maybe they haven’t had through all of our games this year.”

In goal, Edward Little’s Logan Martin finished with 19 saves on 22 shots and Lewiston goalie Will Diamond-Stantic stopped all 10 shots he faced.

Thompson said the Red Eddies’ lineup was different Tuesday due to key players sitting out for various reasons and senior goalkeeper Max Kimble out with shin splints.

“I think the biggest thing for us is we just need to find ways to limit the balls that they’re playing through,” Thompson said. “They’ve obviously got great pace, and if we can’t eliminate their passes at all, we’re going to be in a sprint the entire game, and they’ve got guys that are fast.”

Lewiston, the reigning Class A state champion, will be the second seed in the Class A North postseason, while Edward Little will be fifth.

Ibrahim said that people are “going to have to expect a lot,” from the Blue Devils in the playoffs. Haji added that the two regular season wins against the Red Eddies feel good, but no longer matter because every team starts at 0-0 in the playoffs.

Tuesday was Edward Little’s senior night game, and the team celebrated the 12 seniors earlier in the night at halftime of the JV game.

Related Headlines

Join the Conversation

Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.