AUBURN – Thursday’s annual second and final girls’ soccer game of the regular season between Lewiston and Edward Little probably ended the way it should have.
Lewiston sniper Laura Martel and her shadow for the previous two hours, Erin Cain, embraced at midfield as their teams’ respective most valuable players. But nobody cradled the Maca Roddy Memorial Trophy.
That silver-and-black soccer ball, awarded to the team that wins the October contest each year, remains community property after a 1-1 tie that had ample opportunity to go EL’s way.
Martel’s goal put Lewiston (8-2-2) on the board in the 43rd minute after a scoreless first half. Ashley Pepin answered for the Red Eddies (7-3-2) less than four minutes later.
From that moment forward, Lewiston’s defense spent most of regulation in retreat, squelching multiple EL efforts to score the game-winner.
“That’s everything you would expect from a Lewiston-Edward Little game, with the intensity, the passion for soccer and the will to win,” said EL assistant coach Val Brown. “In terms of dominating, however, I think we made our statement today.”
Brown led the team in the absence of Tom Grossman, who was called away to a family emergency during pregame.
The Roddy trophy, named after the Edward Little goaltender killed in a car accident 10 years ago, arrived and left with Lewiston. It’s been in the Blue Devils’ trophy case since last October, and they did enough defensively to keep it.
Two days after a Heal Point-rich win over Mt. Ararat, Lewiston expected nothing less when crossing the bridge. The Devils defeated the Red Eddies at home last month, 2-1, on Martel’s goal in the final minute of regulation.
“We’re so evenly matched. I think we got a little lucky when we beat them last time,” said Lewiston coach Rick Meyers. “I’m positive we will see them again (in the playoffs), and I hope it’s at our field.”
Neither team scored in the final 33 minutes of the second half or in a pair of five-minute overtime periods. Most of the legitimate chances belonged to EL.
Kelsey Pelletier narrowly missed wide right on a breakaway. Olivia Welch challenged with a pair of direct kicks.
Pelletier broke free down the left sideline in the closing seconds of regulation with another chance to seal the win. Freshman goaltender Katie Cobb charged from the net to break it up.
Cobb made seven saves for Lewiston. Red Eddies’ keeper Brittney French smothered eight shots.
“The kids are finally getting aggressive inside the box for the first time all year,” Brown said. “That’s something Tom has worked on with them, and it’s paying off. They’re becoming more offensive-minded.”
EL’s defense left Martel uncovered just long enough to score her 22nd goal of the season. After a Devils’ defensive stand, Martel cleared the ball with a bicycle kick, tracked it down at midfield and scissored through four EL defenders on her way to a one-on-one shot at French.
Katelyn St. Hilaire set up Pepin’s equalizer, and Cain and Liz Langelier helped stifle Martel thereafter.
“They mark up so well,” Meyers said. “And they’re tough to beat on this field. We really didn’t have a lot of quality shots.”
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