BETHEL — With the Maine Principals’ Association returning to the 50 percent rule for postseason participation, thereby eliminating dozens of preliminary round games, Monday’s Livermore Falls-Telstar was the closest thing we’ll see to a first-rounder this fall in Western Class C boys’ soccer.

And in terms of playoff intensity, even if some of it admittedly was fabricated, the Andies and Rebels delivered.

Livermore Falls solidified the eighth and final seed and tuned up for a quarterfinal clash with No. 1 St. Dom’s, rallying three times from a one-goal deficit to preserve a 3-3 tie in a contest each coach successfully convinced his team it needed to win in order to extend the season.

“I don’t think so, but we kept telling the kids we had an outside chance,” said Telstar coach Tim Remington. “Even if we won, we probably would have finished four or five (Heal) points behind them for eighth. But we told them they needed to win to have a shot. Either way it gives us good things going into next year.”

Seventy-or-so fans encamped along the side of a hill bought into the message, too, hollering with heightened vigor during every momentum change in a wild second half and two five-minute overtimes.

Only six minutes after he surrendered a go-ahead goal to Telstar on a penalty kick, Livermore Falls goalkeeper Willie Brown booted a freebie of his own through the outstretched hands of a diving Daniel Vaughn to tie it with 3:08 remaining in regulation.

Brown, who made 10 saves for the Andies (7-5-2), attempted only one previous penalty kick this season — in a preseason game.

“I’m not going to lie. I was pretty nervous running down the field,” Brown said. “When (Coach Bill Acritelli) said my name, I said, ‘I don’t really want to take this, Coach.’ The goalie got a hand on it. Luckily it went through. I was aiming right, but I just didn’t get it over far enough.”

With a surplus of strong feet on his team, including two that share placekicking duties for the football team, Acritelli didn’t spend much time in the decision-making process after the Rebels were whistled for hauling down an Andies forward in the box.

“When the entire team on the field is screaming his name, I’ve got to step up and give him a chance,” Acritelli said. “I hate pulling my goalie to make a penalty shot like that. But he’s steady. The nerves don’t get to him.”

Trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 didn’t trouble the rest of the Andies, either, even on a day when they admittedly didn’t play their best.

Telstar (5-7-2) took the early lead on an own-goal credited to the Rebels’ lone senior, Ethan Morin, after his throw-in led to a misplaced clearing attempt by the Livermore Falls defense. 

Khyle Whittemore split two defenders and buried the equalizer into the lower left corner of the cage prior to the half.

“I think the goals kind of woke us up,” Whittemore said. “Usually we start out bad for the first 10 minutes and then play well the rest of the game. Today it was never really good at all.”

Morin scored in more conventional fashion six minutes after intermission, only to see Jake Freeman polish off a perfect passing sequence from Whittemore to McLamb less than eight minutes later.

Tyler Brown deposited the Telstar penalty kick with 9:37 left.

“I didn’t see the foul (that led to Livermore Falls’ PK), but when they go into your penalty box with speed, things will happen,” Remington said. “That’s what happened on both sides.”

Vaughn made 14 saves with stout defensive help from Josh Bellinger, Randy Morin, Elek Pew, Dusty Bailey and Katie Blaszczak. Ten of Telstar’s 16 players are freshmen or sophomores.

Stephen Souther, Spencer Osgood and Ian Wilcox provided stellar support surrounding Brown.

“It just drives me crazy that these guys played an outstanding game against Dirigo, lost 1-0, and beat Mt. Abram, but then we play a game like this,” said Acritelli, whose team tied both Mountain Valley Conference battles with Telstar this season. “We didn’t pass. We didn’t talk. And that’s not the way we play.”