AUBURN – Joe Bonneau certainly didn’t look like a keeper making his first start.

The St. Dom’s senior, playing in just his second high school soccer game, turned aside 20 shots as the Saints battled the North Yarmouth Panthers to a 2-2 tie in a Western Maine Conference tilt Tuesday.

North Yarmouth (1-0-1) got a goal from Taylor Gorman with 6:39 remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Although both teams had chances in the two overtime sessions, neither squad could muster a quality shot on net.

Starting keeper Austin Fuller was recently injured and is expected to miss six games. Into the fray came Bonneau, who had been working as a fullback.

“Coach (Lee Hixon) figured I was versatile enough because I’m a basketball player, and I have good hands,” said Bonneau. “Both coaches told me I did a great job. I think I did my part.”

Bonneau was kept busy in the first half, stopping 12 shots with many of them coming on long offerings that he caught. Late in regulation, he came up with his biggest save with the score tied as he leaped through traffic to pull down a ball bounding through the crease.

The hardest transition for him was knowing when to come out and play the ball.

“Judging when to come off your line (was difficult),” said Bonneau. “We’ve been working on that all week.”

“We were expecting Austin to carry us throughout the year,” said Hixon. “(After he went down) we needed someone big and strong and not afraid to take a hit. (Joe) did very well. We were pleased.”

The Saints (1-0-1) got off to a strong start as Andy Allen found a seam through a pair of Panther defenders and touched a soft shot past prone keeper Henry Gleason (eight saves). Moments later, Allen cut down the middle and blasted a shot that sailed inches over the middle of the crossbar. Unfortunately for the Saints, Allen began having trouble catching his breath midway through the first half and they lost his services for the rest of the game.

“Andy’s so aggressive going to the ball,” said Hixon. “That was a big loss for us.”

Than Wellin tied the game for North Yarmouth with 8:52 to go in the first half. He was left unmarked in front of the cage and tapped a crossing pass from Gorman into the open net.

Will Emerson broke the deadlock early in the second half. As John Mulderig lofted a corner kick over the crowd in front, Emerson headed the ball in from his position on the far post.

After Emerson’s score, the Panthers picked up the offensive attack.

“We started putting the pressure on in the second half,” said Panther coach Josh Muscadin. “We were flat. In soccer, if you’re waking up in the second half, you’ve got a problem. We were taking quite a few shots, but we weren’t hitting the target. We were hitting the keeper and missing the net. We paid the price for that.”

With 11 minutes left, Hixon dropped back an extra defender trying to protect the one goal lead, but once again a Panther forward was left open in front. This time it was Gorman who raced up and fired Dinch Kelesoglu’s crossing pass into the lower, right hand corner.

In the second overtime period, Gorman fired a pair of shots wide of the net. The Saints’ best opportunity came when a lead pass down the right wing bounced ahead of Emerson who had raced past the Panther fullbacks, but Gleason came out to cover the ball before the Saints’ forward could get to it.

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