AUBURN – It seemed as much a debate as it was a soccer game. Every time Lewiston made a point, it seemed the Edward Little boys’ soccer team had a rebuttal.

Lewiston built a pair of one-goal leads in the second half Tuesday, only to watch EL rally to tie it each time as the two rivals settled for a 2-2 tie. Jon Fournier and Dave Labonte each scored for Lewiston while Marc St. Hilaire and Jamie White had goals for EL. White’s score came with 8:51 left in regulation.

“It’s almost like the underdogs the last four or five years have seem to have the advantage a little bit,” said EL coach Dave Morin.

EL (5-7-1) was ranked 14th in the Eastern A Heal Points and could have used a win over sixth-ranked Lewiston (6-4-3). The Red Eddies produced one of their finer efforts of the season to earn the tie.

“We showed a little bit of character today,” said EL coach Dave Morin. “We played one of our better games on our home field. For our kids to play consistently like that, if we could’ve played all season the way we played against Lawrence (a 1-0 loss) or the way we played today, our problem is we don’t do that. We haven’t been consistent.”

EL produced a strong first half, outshooting Lewiston 9-3. In the second half, Lewiston managed to even things out and took the lead at 14:39.

The Blue Devils had played much of the game without midfielder Hamdi Naji, who was nursing an injury.

He stepped onto the field and immediately bolstered the midfield. His transition play led to a pass to Labonte, who found Jon Fournier in front for the goal.

“Jon Fournier said ‘I like playing up front,”’ said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “I said ‘I’ll give you a chance. Go up front with Dave.’ They’re a pretty good combination. Hamdi made a nice creative opportunity, and Dave got it to Jon, and he put it in.”

EL answered less than two minutes later when St. Hilaire chipped a loose ball into the top of the net. Lewiston retook the lead with 10:57 remaining.

A corner by Corey Worthington was headed in by Labonte.

“That second goal was beautiful,” said McGraw. “It was a great goal for us. I thought that was going to be the one that would get us to smarten up and play a little more solid defensively. You’ve got to give EL credit. They came right down afterward and got the opportunity and put it in.”

EL countered with its own corner kick. Shawn Campbell’s offering was headed in by White with 8:51 left.