AUBURN – It’s not like the St. Dominic boys’ soccer team really needed to test its resiliency further but sure enough, the Saints were forced to dig even deeper.

With six wins still in question pending an appeal with the Maine Principals Association, the Saints watched their rivals from North Yarmouth Academy tie Wednesday’s rematch with 3:04 left in regulation.

St. Dom’s shrugged off that sudden twist and scored just over two minutes later to stun the Panthers with a critical 2-1 victory.

“It’s been tough,” said St. Dom’s forward Shawn Longley. “I’m glad we rebounded like that. It proves we’re a very strong team this year.”

Patrick Ouellette’s pass in the midfield sent Longley in alone in the closing minutes. With a defender in pursuit and NYA keeper Jason Kroot charging out, Longley chipped it by him and inside the right post.

“He just threw me a line drive down the line,” said Longley. “The goalie came out and took out the angle. I just picked the far side. I didn’t have much room. I just shot it and hoped for the best.”

St. Dom’s (4-7) had dropped to 12th in the latest Western C Heal Points, thanks to the loss of six wins. Wednesday’s win certainly boosts St. Dom’s chances to regain a playoff spot while also avenging an earlier 3-1 loss to the third-ranked Panthers.

“It gets us in the playoffs and it’s good revenge,” said Josh Dwinal. “It gives us confidence for the playoffs too.”

The Saints displayed the fire it lacked in the loss to NYA. It was a tighter game defensively, but St. Dom’s was the aggressor for much of the game and won most of the key battles on the field.

“This was the intensity we were looking for,” said coach Lee Hixon. “We had everything to lose. These guys are ready for the playoffs now. We have three more games that are must wins. I’m so pleased with these seniors. They’ve picked it up. The leadership skills that we’ve been working for all year, they’re showing it.”

The Saints came out strong from the start and took the lead at 7:18. A free kick just outside the box led to a Dwinal direct kick and a 1-0 lead.

“I just saw the wall there, and I knew if I just curled right around the goalie wouldn’t be able to see anything. That was a good headstart and got the momentum our way.”

NYA coach Ben Graham had warned his kids that the Saints would come out hungry.

“My boys don’t seem to want to listen,” said Graham. “I don’t think they created that much, but they defended better than we did. They got men behind the ball. They hustled. They just wanted it more.