AUBURN — Every soccer team hopes to develop at least one player who can throw the ball farther than most people can kick it.

For the Edward Little High School boys, it’s not merely blind faith but a strategy and an expectation. This year, that weapon is senior Steven Giorgetti.

Giorgetti’s mighty, overhead toss set up sophomore Nate Blais’ nifty goal less than two minutes into Tuesday’s game. It wasn’t enough for a win, but the Red Eddies nursed that net gain to the double-overtime conclusion of a 1-1 tie with Erskine Academy in a battle of Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference unbeatens.

“Personally for me, the tie is frustrating, because I know we left a little more out there today,” Giorgetti said.

Erskine (2-0-2) knotted the game with 14:42 remaining in regulation when Lucas Miller cleaned up a scramble in front, also the result of a throw-in by teammate Ryan Pulver.

Overtime’s few scoring opportunities belonged to the Eddies (3-0-1), chiefly one final throw-in from just shy of the left corner with 10 seconds left.

Giorgetto located a pair of EL teammates at the goalmouth, but Erskine’s Evert Fowle cleared the ball out of harm’s way. The Eagles repelled Blais’ bid off the rebound as time expired.

“They sort of took over the game for a while, and we were running around worrying about things that were out of our control,” said EL coach Dave Morin. “We had the better of the overtimes. We’ve been playing good teams, and it’s taken us a little while to find ourselves.”

One thing the Eddies aren’t scrambling to find is a playmaker in dead-ball situations.

EL flaunts nine seniors, but that number is deceptive in terms of overall varsity experience. Giorgetti is a returning starter, though, and his contributions are the latest in a healthy line.

“When I started playing it was always Adam Lutz with his flip throws,” Giorgetti said. “I started then trying to throw it as far as I could.”

“It’s sort of been a tradition. Other guys start to get in line to try to be the next one,” Morin said. “He sent that one to Nate in the perfect spot. If he threw it too far, it just would have gone out of bounds.”

Blais headed the ball past an Erskine defender, tracked it down himself and one-touched it past Erskine goalkeeper Zack Busmanis.

Erskine enjoyed a 13-6 advantage in shots on goal in the second half and 20-15 overall.

Giorgetti, senior sweeper Jeremy Theriault, Clark Chamberlin, J.J. Jackson, Jon Delorme and Austin Polisky shone defensively for the Eddies during a stretch in which the game could have slipped away.

“There have been too many of these for us this year,” said Erskine coach Phil Hubbard. “We got behind Mt. Ararat, Morse and now Edward Little and got two wins and a tie out of it. To Morse we were down 2-0, and you just can’t do that in this league. A tie is a tie and we’ll take it, because that’s a good team and they’re going to win some games.”

Morin echoed those thoughts as the Eddies continued an impressive, mildly surprising start.

“I think it’s a little better than we expected,” said the 30-year coach. “We’re playing a new system this year. We basically went scoreless in the preseason because the guys were upset and saying, ‘This isn’t working.’ I told them they had to give it more than three minutes.”

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