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PORTLAND—It’s a rivalry like no other.
Intense, yet respectful.
And once again Monday evening at Memorial Field, the Deering and Portland boys’ soccer teams brought out the best in each other.
And put on a show.
The Bulldogs had several good chances in the first half, but couldn’t finish.
Then, after Portland senior goalkeeper Marco Cifuentes Robles made a highlight reel save to keep the game scoreless, the Bulldogs got the game’s lone goal with 27:56 to go, as senior Ronan Mas perfectly placed a 30-yard free kick blast.
Portland held on from there for the 1-0 victory.
The Bulldogs, who also began the season with a win over the Rams, by the same score, capped their fine regular season with an 11-2-1 record and in the process, dropped Deering to 7-6-1.
“Of course, we come into this game wanting to win this more than any other, but if we’re not playing them, we want them to go far,” said Mas. “It always means a lot, but we’re all from Portland and we all want the city to win.”
Bookend battles
Back on Sept. 6, at Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland edged Deering, 1-0, on an overtime goal from senior David Mawangu.
The Bulldogs’ overtime fun was just beginning as they needed OT to hold off host South Portland (1-0), then had to go to a second overtime to get past visiting Falmouth (2-1). Portland then took care of visiting Bonny Eagle (7-1) and host Massabesic (8-0) in regulation before falling at Gorham, 2-1, and settling for a 1-1 draw at Scarborough. The Bulldogs then flipped the switch offensively and handled visiting Sanford (9-0), giving longtime coach Rocco Frenzilli his 300th career win, before knocking off visiting Kennebunk (4-2) and host Cheverus (5-1). After falling at Windham (2-1), Portland downed visiting Marshwood (3-1) and visiting Noble (5-0).
After losing the opener at Portland, Deering settled for a 1-1 draw at Kennebunk before losing at home to Falmouth (2-1) and Windham (2-0). The Rams then won six straight, downing host Westbrook (3-2), visiting Biddeford (2-1), host Thornton Academy (5-0), visiting Bonny Eagle (5-1), host South Portland (3-1) and host Marshwood (3-2) before losing at home to Scarborough (2-0) and at Gorham last week (3-0).
Monday, on a gorgeous late-October evening (77 degrees at kickoff), after 13 Deering seniors and their families were honored, the Bulldogs and Rams did battle for 80 entertaining minutes.
With little separation.
Portland was the aggressor for almost the entirety of the first half, but wound up with nothing to show for it.
The Bulldogs earned a corner kick a minute in, but couldn’t produce a shot.
In the fourth minute, Mawangu got his head on a throw from junior Bunga Pedro, but Deering junior goalkeeper Jack Borland made the save.
A minute later, Mawangu got by the defense, but the ball was knocked out for a corner kick which didn’t result in a shot.
In the seventh minute, senior Mateta Antonio set up Mawangu for a header that went just wide.
Two minutes later, Mawangu had an even more promising header, off a cross from senior Osvaldo Silva, but again, the ball rolled just wide.
After Mas had an initial long free kick saved by Borland, senior Isaac Rodrigues-Nkanza took a feed from junior Baptista Muanda and missed just high.
With 18:33 to go before halftime, Muanda served in a free kick from the side, but it was headed out of harm’s way..
Two minutes later, Borland punched the ball away from senior Paulo Joao at the last moment after a cross from Rodrigues-Nkanza.
With 14:06 remaining, Borland had to leap to tip a long, rising blast from Pedro over the crossbar.
Late in the half, Muanda passed the ball through a defender’s legs to Mawangu, but his deflected shot in the box was saved.
Deering’s lone chance came with 55 seconds left, but a long free kick from senior Alberto Lucas-Bayata was punched out by Cifuentes Robles.
Portland had a 6-0 shots advantage in the first half, but Borland saved them all to keep the game scoreless.
The Bulldogs finally found the net in the second half.
The Rams came to life early in the second half.
After Mas sent a free kick over Borland’s hands but just wide, Deering earned its first corner kick, only to have senior Peter Sargent’s shot blocked.
After junior Ibrahim Abdullahi sent a shot high and a long Sargent free kick was saved by Cifuentes Robles, Deering’s best chance came with 29:27 remaining, as Abdullahi fired a promising shot which Cifuentes Robles had to dive and save. Junior Cristiano Afonso got to the rebound, but sent it wide.
“The play of the game was Marco’s save on that ball,” said longtime Portland coach Rocco Frenzilli. “That thing was heading for the corner. He’s done that all year long for us.”
Then, at the other end, after a foul, Mas lined up a 30-yard free kick from the left side and he struck it perfectly, sent it past the wall and while Borland made contact with the ball, he couldn’t stop it and it found the net, just inside the near post for a 1-0 lead.
“We knew a goal was coming,” Mas said. “We possessed in the first half. We just had to take more chances and get a goal. The other (free kicks) were just outside what I think is my range, so I tried to cross them. That one, I wanted to try to rip one and get some power and movement on it. I was trying to get it around the wall, near post. I wasn’t sure about the height as long as it went in. It felt good.”
“What can you say about that strike he hit?” Frenzilli said. “That was an absolute missile. I’m happy for him because he’s out every training session, putting balls down, working on free kicks.”
Deering could only tip its cap in appreciation.
“It was an amazing shot,” said Rams senior captain Ethan Fisher. “Not much we could do on the set piece. We could have prevented the foul. That’s something we’ll fix.”
Amid the jubilation of the goal, Mas got his teammates refocused.
“As soon as I scored, I said, “We’re not done yet. We still have 28 minutes,'” Mas said. “The coaches moved me back to sweeper and at that point, we just had to control the game and keep the ball out of our side.”
The Bulldogs would hold on, but not without some anxious moments.
After Rodrigues-Nkanza had a sure goal denied by a diving Borland, Deering went on the attack, seeking the equalizer.
First, a run by Afonso was broke up by Portland senior back Silvio Mbayi.
With 8:45 remaining in regulation, junior Flavio Ngimbi Misenga ripped a long free kick just wide.
Four minutes later, the Bulldogs came within inches of salting the game away, as Mas sent a long pass ahead to Mawangu, who poked it past Borland, but just before the ball crossed the goal line, senior Luke Newell cleared it off the line.
The Rams got one last chance, as play was stopped with 5 seconds to go and Deering was able to take a free kick from the side of the box, Abdullahi sent the ball in, but it was knocked away and at 7 p.m., Portland was able to celebrate its 1-0 victory.
“I’ve been playing varsity three years and this is the first time I’ve won here,” said Mas. “This stadium, we couldn’t perform the way we wanted to, but tonight was amazing to change that.”
“Ninety minutes are up and I feel like I aged 90 years,” said Frenzilli. “Historically, we don’t play very well over here (just 6-4-3 over the past two decades). I’m proud of these guys. The guys worked hard, they’re a tight group, they enjoyed playing together and we all enjoy coaching them. I’m very happy for them. It’s a great way to end the (regular) season. That’s a very, very good, dangerous Deering team that we highly respect. All week in practice we talked about this being a playoff atmosphere. (Rams coach) Joel (Costigan) and I talked in the stands before the game. It’s a rivalry but not a voracious rivalry. If we can’t win, we want them to and vice versa.”
Portland had a 10-2 advantage in shots on frame, got two saves from Cifuentes Robles and had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.
Borland made nine saves for Deering, which was shut out for the third consecutive game.
“At the end of the day, we live in the same city and we’re all friends,” Fisher said. “Off the field, it’s all love. It’s always back-and-forth. It’s fun to experience the rivalry.”
“Every time we play them, it’s a playoff atmosphere,” Costigan said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in the summer, the first game of the season or otherwise. I’ve loved how competitive but friendly it is. After the game, guys congratulate each other.
“We’re not doing enough in the box. Our defense is improving. Guys are winning the ball in the air and winning the second ball, but it’s the final third. We have do better not ball-watching and attack the ball in the box.”
Time to make a run
Last year, Deering and Portland were the last two teams standing in Class A South.
This season, the Rams and Bulldogs like their chances to go deep in the playoffs again.
Deering appears locked into the No. 6 seed in Class A South and will host a preliminary round playoff game Saturday at a time and against a foe to be announced.
“We have to have a short memory,” Fisher said. “We have to take care of business and move on from there. You get to the playoffs and it’s a whole different game. Everybody’s level and it’s about who wants it more. We have to stay focused and work collectively as a group.”
“We need a little magic,” Costigan said. “Playoffs are so much about luck, timing, the ball bouncing the right way. Playoffs will be one-goal games, one mistake here, one golden opportunity there. It just comes down to extra effort in the box. At both ends.”
Portland was ranked third in Class A South at press time. The Bulldogs could remain there, or drop to fourth or even fifth (the top four teams get a bye into the quarterfinals).
“I think we can go just as far as last year,” said Mas. “We have the potential to go even further. This bracket is so tight. It’s going to be fun.”
“Now, we’ll see what next week brings,” Frenzilli said. “I’d like to avoid a prelim. If we’re 5 and we have to play (a prelim), we’ll play. No one will be an easy opponent. You can’t overlook anyone. The team at 12 is just as formidable as the teams further up the ladder. I want the guys to have fun and enjoy it and we’ll see where it takes us.”
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