Deja vu for Deering boys’ soccer

Cheverus junior Matthew Hatch heads the ball between Deering senior Calvin Benider (33) and junior Ezekiel Appel during the Rams’ 4-1 win Thursday.

PORTLAND—The setting was the same.

And so was the storyline.

And the result.

Thursday afternoon, at a rainy Memorial Stadium, Cheverus and Deering’s boys’ soccer teams squared off for the second time in three weeks and as was the case in the first meeting, the Stags struck first, as sophomore James Baur scored for a 1-0 lead which held into halftime.

Then, once again, the Rams roared back in the second half and went on to a decisive win.

Deering got things going with 34:09 to go, as senior Rivaldo Ramos Sanchez scored to tie things up.

Sophomore Carlos Adrian-Muaco then gave the Rams the lead for good five minutes later and rebound goals from sophomore Patricio Mowa and senior Muntasir Ahmed helped put it away as Deering prevailed, 4-1.

The Rams got goals from four different players as they improved to 5-3 and in the process, dropped Cheverus to 2-6.

“The kids motivated themselves,” said Deering coach Joel Costigan. “I didn’t say much at halftime. I let our team leaders take over. They reminded (the guys) of what they’re capable of doing and to play with heart and passion, then reminded them of what we do well. When we play the ball quickly and move as a team, we’re dangerous.”

Same place, same result

In the teams’ first meeting, Oct. 8, also at Deering, Cheverus scored first, on a penalty kick, and held a 1-0 lead at the start of the second half, but the Rams erupted for five goals and went on to a 5-1 victory.

Each team has had its ups and downs this year and both have shown glimpses of greatness.

Cheverus with a 1-0 victory at Westbrook in a playoff rematch, then fell at home, 3-0, to Portland and 4-0 at two-time Class C state champion Waynflete before losing at Deering (5-1). Following a 1-0 home win over South Portland, the Stags were blanked at Gorham (6-0), then Monday, dropped a hard-fought home decision to Waynflete (3-2).

Deering won, 2-1, at South Portland in its first game, then lost at home to Waynflete, 3-2, beat visiting Cheverus (5-1) and after falling at Portland (1-0), downed Westbrook twice: 7-0 at home and 6-1 on the road. Last Saturday, the Rams lost late to visiting Portland, 2-1.

Entering Thursday’s contest, since the start of the 2004 season, the Rams had won 11 meetings, the Stags seven and two others ended in draws (see below for recent results).

Thursday’s game was scheduled to be played at Boulos Stadium at Cheverus, but poor weather moved it to Deering’s turf, where, on a 46-degree, drizzly day, the Stags had the better of play in the first half, but the Rams controlled the second and went on to victory.

Both teams were frustrated early, as Cheverus senior goalkeeper Silas Jones broke up a long feed from Deering senior Andrew James to Adriano-Muaco, James had a low blast saved, senior Calvin Benider had a header saved by Jones and Mowa missed just wide, while at the other end, Stags senior Evangelo Kapothanasis headed a shot high.

With 17:40 left in the first half, Cheverus struck quickly for the lead.

Junior Odan Strock got some room on the right side, then turned toward the goal and crossed the ball to Baur, who sent it past Rams senior goalkeeper Sam Spach for a 1-0 lead.

Deering nearly answered three minutes later, but senior Jesse Tidd sent a shot off the near post and senior Mick Fennessey’s rebound sailed just high.

Late in the half, sophomore Adilson Vidal and James missed wide and the Stags took a 1-0 advantage to the break.

The lead didn’t last long in a second half that was all Rams.

With 34:09 remaining, the Rams tied the score, as Tidd crossed the ball to Ramos Sanchez, who one-timed a shot past junior Will Haley, who had replaced Jones in goal at the start of the second half, to make it 1-1.

“I saw the ball and when the defense slid to the right, I shot the ball,” said Ramos Sanchez. “When I scored, I said to my teammates, ‘Let’s go. Let’s go.'”

“(Rivaldo’s) had some family responsibilities the past couple weeks, but he really wanted to play today and had a great game,” Costigan said. “He tries as hard as he can. I can’t describe how great a kid he is.”

With 29:31 remaining, the Rams went on top for good, as Adriano-Muaco took a through-ball and got into the box. Adriano-Muaco’s initial shot was turned aside by Haley, who made a kick save, but Adriano-Muaco stayed with the play and one-timed the rebound with his left foot into the goal for a 2-1 advantage.

After Spach saved a header from Cheverus junior Brady Hoglund and junior Liam Fedirizzi missed just wide, Deering scored an insurance goal with 19:03 left, as Tidd’s shot was saved by Haley, but Mowa pounced on the rebound and finished to make it 3-1.

“I don’t think we had a single rebound goal last year,” Costigan said. “As a team, you have to score on second chances. When we move together in waves, we’re successful. Guys continued to run and good things happened.”

The Rams got one more goal with 12:24 to play, as Ahmed got to a deflection off a corner kick and put it into the net to account for the 4-1 final score.

“When we push the ball forward together, that’s when we get the best opportunities,” Ramos Sanchez said. “The first half, we played so bad, but the second half, we had pressure and scored goals.”

Deering finished with a 13-2 advantage in shots on frame (with 11 of those coming after halftime). Spach saved one shot and the Rams also took four corner kicks to the Stags’ two.

Cheverus got eight saves from Haley and one from Jones, but it couldn’t respond to Deering’s second half outburst.

Again.

“It was deja vu,” said Stags coach Bill LeBlanc. “Tough conditions. Once again, we played a good 40 minutes. We just didn’t meet their challenge. They’re a good second half team and we knew we had to be ready for it, but we weren’t.”

Cup runneth over

Cheverus and Deering now turn their attention to the “Casco Bay Cup,” which will also include Portland and South Portland.

The Stags go to Portland Tuesday.

“I’m not sure how we’re going to play it,” LeBlanc said. “We want to get some guys in. It’s been a frustrating season, but fun. I’m glad the kids got a chance to play a little bit.”

Deering is at home versus South Portland Monday.

“I’m happy with the season so far,” said Ramos Sanchez. “It’s been a good season for us. We’ll focus on the next game and get prepared.”

“I want everybody to play and I want to be competitive too,” Costigan said. “I’d be disappointed if teams don’t take it seriously. Kids have fun when it’s competitive. The good thing we have is a lot of depth. Getting my seniors in, which is most important, is pretty easy to do.”