LEWISTON — Watching a seemingly comfortable lead disappear Saturday night, the Lewiston boys’ soccer team had to show what it was made of in its Eastern A semfinal against Hampden.

The Blue Devils watched that 2-0 lead slip away quickly late in the first half. Lewiston then had to regroup. The Blue Devils did just that and won in overtime to advance to Wednesday’s Eastern A final.

Now, Lewiston gets to prove itself again. The Blue Devils meet top-ranked Mt. Ararat (14-1-1), a team it split with during the regular season. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.

“It’s a great return matchup,” said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “We get to go back down there and play another tremendous game. That’s why you have to be resilient. You have to be tough. We have to go back down there. My kids are looking forward to it. They know they’re going to get a game. They know it’s going to be a battle. But if you’re going to the finals, you’ve got to pass that test.”

The winner gets to play in Saturday’s Class A state game in Hampden. Mt. Ararat has been to the states five times, winning the title in 1994 and 2003. Lewiston has been to the state game just once, losing to Brunswick in 1991.

“This is the rubber match,” said McGraw. “The games have been up and down with changes in momentum. It’s like Ali and Frazier.”

Lewiston won the first matchup, 3-1. Like the Blue Devils did against Hampden Saturday, Lewiston came out strong and built a quick 2-0 lead. Abdi Shariff-Hassan scored just 3:43 into the game. Then Hassan Hussein finished off a Yusuf Yama pass with 15 minutes left in the half. Lewiston made it 3-0 early in the second half when Abdibaari Hersi fed Yama.

Mt. Ararat got a Will Hirnak goal late in the game as the Eagles tried to rally.

In the second meeting in Topsham, Mt. Ararat struck first. Tee Chanchemgpanich and Jason Torres each scored goals in the first half. Yama scored to get Lewiston within reach. Then Mt. Ararat keeper Gabe Pelletier preserved the lead with an outstanding save on Yama’s bid for the equalizer.

Lewiston (13-1-2) scored 62 goals and allowed just eight with eight shutouts during the regular season. Mt. Ararat scored 47 goals and allowed just 10, posting six shutouts.

“I know what they’re going to bring to us,” said McGraw. “We have to be able to withstand their pressure. We have to have poise. They’re going to cause us to make mistakes. We’re going to have to capitalized on our chances and we have to be solid defensively.”

kmills@sunjournal.com