TURNER – After three weeks and one day of scrimmages, preseason tests and a regular-season opener against a perennial power, the Edward Little High School boys’ soccer team mustered a total of two goals and lacked a finishing kick in most games.

EL took care of both deficiencies Tuesday. Four different players found the net, and the sudden prosperity and an unusually big lead seemed to put an extra spring in the Red Eddies’ step as they polished off a 4-1 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference triumph over Leavitt.

Sophomore Ethan Grund scored the Eddies’ initial goal of the season in the third minute. Senior Marc St. Hilaire repeated that feat at 2:38 of the second half to give EL a 3-1 advantage and ensure a happier ending than last weekend’s kickoff, when the Red Eddies played Mt. Ararat to a stalemate until surrendering two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

“We passed the ball better, and we didn’t lunge,” said St. Hilaire. “We ran to the ball better. We came in believing this was going to be a tough game, because (Leavitt) beat Lewiston.”

Both teams are now 1-1. While the Red Eddies wield a greater tradition at the Class A level, it was the Hornets, nine seniors deep, who created a louder buzz in their season-opener.

This time out, Leavitt had trouble matching EL’s speed and offensive flow. The Hornets knotted the game on an own-goal at 16:46 but never recovered from Ben Hartnett’s breakaway strike for the Red Eddies less than six minutes later.

“It was all momentum,” said Leavitt coach Isaiah Davis. “We were really ready for Lewiston, and we beat them to the ball. Today, EL had the momentum. Of their goals, twice we left a guy wide open. One time we tried to clear the ball, and they stole the pass, and another time the guy just beat us down the field.”

Billy Brewster also scored in the second half for the Red Eddies. Hartnett and Eric Prue registered assists, and Adam Lutz set up a goal with a flip throw-in.

Josh Mains made 11 saves for the Red Eddies, who out-shot Leavitt by nearly a two-to-one margin.

“We have two seniors on the field most of the time,” said EL coach Dave Morin. “We start a sophomore in goal, a freshman (Jeremy Theriault) at sweeper, and a couple of sophomores in the middle. Mt. Ararat just wore us out. But Leavitt is pretty good. They took it to us for a while after they scored their goal.” Chris Rybeck was credited with Leavitt’s lone tally. He was standing closest to the ball when Nathaniel Jacobs’ crisp cross from the right side caromed into the cage off an EL defender.

Leavitt had a chance to answer Hartnett’s goal and tie the game a second time on a penalty kick. Jacobs’ blast rattled the crossbar, however, and his follow-up attempt at a header trickled away to Mains’ left.

“We split with Lewiston and Auburn,” Davis said. “We have Brunswick and Mt. Ararat next. If we can get through that, we should be OK.”