The Brunswick boys soccer team celebrates after beating Lewiston, 2-0, on Saturday in Lewiston to advance to the Class A North final. (Cooper Sullivan/Staff Photographer)
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LEWISTON — Oliver Gorchoff can’t remember what was going through his mind when he scored his second goal in a Class A North boys soccer semifinal Saturday night.
One moment, Lewiston was knocking on the door with a set piece opportunity near Brunswick’s net. The next moment, the field had flipped and the Brunswick junior forward was making a move on two defenders, juking one to the ground and sending a left-footed shot toward the crossbar. A moment after that, Gorchoff ran to the nearby corner flag, shrugged his shoulders and celebrated with his teammates.
He may not have known how he did it, but he knew what his 75th-minute score meant: a 2-0 win and Brunswick’s first trip to the regional finals since 2022.
“I don’t know how to explain it … it just felt good,” Gorchoff said.
“That second goal he scored was one of the most beautiful goals I’ve seen in high school soccer in my career,” Brunswick coach Mark Roma. “I mean, it was fantastic. It was all him. He created the whole thing. He’s a phenomenal player, and he just keeps getting better.”
The Dragons advance to face defending state champion and top-seeded Camden Hills in the regional final at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. The Windjammers advanced with a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Edward Little.
“We had that feeling the last couple games,” Roma said. “We started to put it together. I could see in practice, and I certainly saw it last game against Mt. Ararat, I feel like we finally put together a complete game. It’s just fun when what you see in training comes to blossom and see in fruition in the game. These guys played their tails off.”
Brunswick, the No. 3 seed, snapped Lewiston’s 13-game unbeaten streak and earned its first win in three meetings this season with the second-seeded Blue Devils (10-2-4). The Dragons (13-2-1) lost 3-2 on Sept. 30 and tied Lewiston 2-2 on Oct. 10.
“We knew what they had coming in,” Brunswick senior defender Ethan Patterson. “We knew they worked that left side. We saw that in the two games we played with them, so we were ready for it. Our formation was prepared, we had a new group compared to what we had last time, so we were ready for it. All around, people getting back, just a group effort, especially on defense.”
Brunswick junior keeper Declan Theberge stopped six shots for his second straight shutout. It was the second time in three games that Lewiston didn’t score.
The hosts had a series of scoring opportunities in the first half, either off set pieces or crosses into the box in transition, but many of those chances went just a bit wide.
Gorchoff scored the game’s first goal in the 15th minute, tapping Liam Rapoza’s pass into the net, despite being fouled in the process. The Dragons ended the half with three straight shots on goal, but senior keeper Will Diamond-Stanic (five saves) made the stops.
Lewiston took two corners and a direct kick between the 50th and 53rd minutes, all with good looks, but didn’t score.
“Proud of our guys,” Lewiston coach Dan Gish said. “I think we were a little erratic in the first half, but we settled it down, made some adjustments tactically, and personnel wise, we shifted around. I thought we were in the fight until the end. They’re a good team. They’re always a fun opponent, challenging opponent to play. It was their time.
“The sun is still gonna come up tomorrow. Guarantee they’ll be out playing, getting ready for next year, and our seniors getting ready for what’s next in their playing careers and academic careers.”
