Brunswick boys soccer tops Lewiston in A North clash
Brunswick’s boys’ soccer squad kept its perfect record intact by pulling a 3‑to‑2 victory over the Lewiston Blue Devils on Tuesday night at Lewiston’s home field. The win, the first of a season‑long showdown between the nation’s top‑ranked teams, will give both squads a fresh taste of the rivalry that has kept parents, students and alumni buzzing since the fall began.
The game, part of the highly competitive “Varsity Maine” poll, had Brunswick (8‑0) and Lewiston (8‑1) locked in a tight contest that would decide the state’s best. The Dragons’ offense broke through early, as forward Oliver Gorchoff opened the scoring at 22 minutes and 53 seconds with a pass from fellow striker Lazlo Vardi. Lewiston answered a minute and a half later when defender‑turned‑attacker David Francisco, assisted by Il Yassa Katou, headed the ball into the net just before half‑time.
A lull followed, but the Dragons regained momentum in the second half. Around the 60‑minute mark, Liam Rapoza curled a free‑kick that gave the Dragons a 2‑1 lead. With just seven minutes left, Lewiston’s Daniel Dimandja levelled the score after a swift counter‑attack led by Yussuf Ali, who supplied the pass. A subsequent Lewiston attempt was disallowed, keeping the score tied at 2‑2.
The decisive moment came with 3½ minutes remaining. Gorchoff, who would finish with a brace, launched a long strike from the right side of the box. Rapoza’s pinpoint pass found him in the penalty area, and Gorchoff slipped past the Blue Devils’ goalkeeper to slot the ball past the keeper for a 3‑to‑2 finish, sealing the win for Brunswick.
“It was a great game to watch, but we can’t celebrate it because we’re going to see Lewiston next week,” Coach Mark Roma told reporters from the stands after the match. “This is the best of high school sports right here. This is why I coach, this is why these kids play. Dan Gish does a phenomenal job with that team, and it’s like this every year.”
Roma, who has been eyeing this matchup for years, praised his players’ resilience. “We stuck through as a team together, and it was a hard‑fought battle, hard‑fought win,” he added, nodding toward Gorchoff, who said, “He slotted it through and I had a 1‑on‑1, and I saw a guy to my right and just placed it past the keeper. And, yeah, it was a great pass, great finish, and it felt really good.”
Rapoza, who scored the second goal and supplied the assist for the game‑winner, was called an “unsung hero” by teammates. “Without that long pass, we might have gone to overtime,” Gorchoff said.
Lewiston coach Dan Gish stayed upbeat despite the loss. “It didn’t go our way, but we don’t make excuses,” Gish said. “We
