TURNER – For a team trying to find its scoring touch, it was a perfect opportunity.

When Chris Rybeck beat a defender early in the second half Tuesday and had a point-blank shot, it was what Leavitt needed to spark its offense.

Lewiston keeper Alex Wong, however, made sure that didn’t happen. The junior netminder reached across his body and snagged Rybeck’s shot to preserving the scoreless tie.

“That goalie made an unbelievable save,” said Leavitt coach Isaiah Davis. “That was one of the best saves I’ve seen.”

Moments later, Lewiston produced the critical first goal with an Ali Hersi tally. Shobow Saban added another to lift the Blue Devils to a 2-0 boys’ soccer win.

“Coming off the losses to EL and Cony, this was a big win for us,” said Wong. “Coming into this game, we knew we had to win, and we just stuck with it until the end.”

Both Leavitt (1-4-2) and Lewiston (3-3-1) have been snakebit this season, generating quality performances but coming out on the short end. So Tuesday’s meeting was a vital stepping stone for the winner.

“We came in here with no illusions that it was going to be anything but a donnybrook,” said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “It was going to be a battle back and forth. We bent a little bit in the first half but didn’t break whereas two weeks ago, we might have allowed those goals.”

Both clubs had quality chances to stake the early lead. Saban and Ali Hersi both had shots saved by Leavitt keeper Zach Caldwell. After a save on another Saban shot, Jon Roy had an open net on the rebound but put it over.

Leavitt answered with a strong push late in the half but also failed to score. Elijah Miller had a crack off a corner kick, and Ben Parkin’s redirection off a corner was stopped. Rybeck put the ball toward an open net, but Lewiston’s Chris Garcia kicked it away. Matt Paladino had a bid in the final minutes, but Wong gobbled it up.

“We’ve had a string of games where we’ve had a ton of pressure on people,” said Davis. “We outshot people, and the breaks haven’t been going our way. Now we’re pressing. It’s not a lack of effort. They’re trying so hard. Now we just have to get the psychological edge back. If we don’t score in the first half, we’re thinking, ‘We’re not going to score.'”

Leavitt had its chance early in the second half when Rybeck got behind the defense. He chipped the ball into the air, but Wong righted himself for the save.

“I was anticipating him going left on me,” said Wong. “I ended up going right. My foot slipped underneath me. Luckily, I got the ball.”

Lewiston took advantage of the reprieve. Kyle Dussault fed Ali Hersi for a shot into the left corner with 29:08 left.

“Once they scored the goal, Lewiston really got charged up,” said Davis. “They went hard to every ball and picked up the intensity.”

Leavitt couldn’t produce the quality chances it had earlier in the game. Garcia and Abdijabar Hersi were stellar in back while Roy and Dussault were solid in the midfield.

“They came out and sort of forced their will a little bit,” said McGraw. “They just played a lot more aggressive, going after the ball and winning things. It probably neutralized some of the good attack that they had.”

Saban scored the second goal with 14:30 left, finishing off a through ball by Abdijabar Hersi.