This season has been years in the making for the Lisbon boys’ soccer team.

Much of the current senior group began playing recreational soccer together as kids, and this is the year these Greyhounds have waited for.

“This year has been our year,” senior midfielder Morgan Reeves said. “Ever since rec soccer, this has been our group. Now it is our senior year. We know each other. Sometimes we have off days but sometimes we have good days.”

So far this fall, Lisbon has produced many good days. The Greyhounds are 7-1-1 and have scored 45 goals. How well this team would finish was a question mark coming into the season, but the scoring production has been astounding.

“Last year the question was if we were going to finish or not,” said Lisbon coach Dan Sylvester, whose team went 5-8-1 last year. “Even though we had our two top scorers back, this was about who was going to finish. We haven’t had these numbers since 2008 when we scored 70-something goals. These guys are playing really well. We just need to keep it that way.”

Ryan Fairbanks and Reeves were both MVC all-stars last year and were the two tops scorers. Fairbanks leads the team with 18 goals, but the club has gotten a wealth of contributions up front. Reeves has chipped in from the midfield, while Mason Smith and Brady Fenderson have been consistent producers.

“Mason Smith is a grinder and Ryan can shoot from anywhere,” Sylvester said. “He has a really hard shot. It adapts to what other teams are doing, especially when we get to the top tier teams in Western C.”

The Greyhounds feature a team that has speed and skill up front. Lisbon can send a variety of players to the net to create opportunities.

“We pass very well,” said Sylvester. “When we play our short game, we’ve proven that we can put the ball in the back of the net. With the amount of goals we’ve had and if you look at all the assists that goes with them, it does say we’re unselfish with the play. So whenever our short game is there, it works. If we get away from it, we get choppy.”

The team works together well because of that familiarity with each other. Players know what to expect and where to find each other on the field.

“When you have a player receive the ball, you have that run and you have that pass back,” said Reeves, who has seven goals this year. “That’s because we have the chemistry. We know where people are going to be.”

It isn’t just the offense. Led by seniors Justin Grant and keeper Shane Tanguay, Lisbon has allowed 11 goals and has posted five shutouts.

It’s been a season that many of the Greyhounds could see coming a year ago.

“We were like, ‘Next year is our year. We’ve got this,’” Reeves said. “We know each other. It’s like we’re brothers.”

Still, Lisbon knows it has to succeed against some of the tougher foes, and the  Greyhounds have some key matchups down the stretch.

Lisbon plays at Dirigo on Thursday. The Greyhounds are ranked fifth in Western Class C while the Cougars are right behind them in sixth. Dirigo has gone 6-1 in its last seven games while Lisbon is 4-0-1.

Then Lisbon gets a rematch with St. Dom’s next Tuesday. The Saints are the top seed in Western C at 8-0-1 and beat the Greyhounds 5-1 earlier in the year.

Eastern A rematch

Lewiston and Mt. Ararat meet again Tuesday night at 5 p.m.  in what should be a great showdown. The Eagles won the first meeting 2-1 in Lewiston in the first game of the season.

The Eagles built the lead on goals by Will Hisnak, off a throw, and Nick Oram, off a direct kick. Lewiston got one back on a tally from Dahir Muktar, set up by Benji Abdisalan Saban.

Mt. Ararat (6-0-3) is currently atop the Eastern A standings and has two ties with Mt. Blue and Messalonskee in its last two outings. Lewiston (6-1-1) is ranked third, winning six straight and scoring 29 goals. Mt. Ararat has 21 goals,  while both teams have allowed just six.

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