LEWISTON — It was one of those difficult and awkward situations.

Edward Little forward Maslah Hassan returned to the soccer field last Thursday to play against his former team. Hassan played for Lewiston as a sophomore and was part of the club that reached the Eastern A final last fall and lost to Hampden.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Hassan said. “They were mad at me for leaving them.”

Hassan played well against his former teammates. His speed helped give the Red Eddies something to match with the Blue Devils’ talent. His poise helped make things happen for EL in a 2-1 loss to unbeaten Lewiston.

“It was obviously an emotional night for him coming back here,” said EL coach Matt Andreasen. “I thought he really kept his emotions in check. He went out for us, drew a penalty (kick) and created some chances.”

Hassan admits it wasn’t too different from last year’s experience when he played for Lewiston and had to play against EL teammates that he had played with as a freshman. His family has moved backed to Auburn, and Hassan returned to EL.

“There’s no denying the kid’s ability,” Andreasen said. “He’s a fantastic talent, but what I’ve been most impressed with so far is just the leadership he’s shown. He played first for me as a little freshman, kind of wide-eyed. He’s become more of a leader. I’ve been really impressed with his demeanor on the field. Off the field, his grades have been super. He seems to be maturing as a young man.”

Hassan admits he’s come a long way from that freshman season when he was the top goal scorer for the Red Eddies.

“I was new to the team my freshman year,” Hassan said. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know anybody.”

It is still a bit of an adjustment. EL has some new faces from the teammates Hassan had two years ago. It’s a little strange to return to a team and fan base that had animosity for him last year after he went to Lewiston.

Still, Hassan has experience in adjusting to new situations and is making the best of it. He scored six goals in his first two games for the Red Eddies this season.

“I think I’m playing better than my freshman or sophomore year, because I’ve got more speed,” Hassan said. “My ball control and everything has gotten better.”

Andreasen said he stressed to Hassan this year that he needed to take his game to a new level. Certainly the natural ability was there, but he needed to develop a sense of utilizing skills to evolve his game.

“We talked about him becoming a more tactical player,” Andreasen said. “When he played for us as a freshman, he was very fast and very skilled. He ran around and moved off the dribble to score. We’ve been working a lot on his movement off the ball and making diagonal runs and his distribution. If he wants to play at the next level, which he’s certainly capable of, he need to be more tactical and more intelligent as a player.”

With so many skilled and fast players around him at Lewiston, Hassan tended to blend in there. At EL, he is counted on to make things happen. The Red Eddies have some quick players up front that work well with Hassan, but his return to EL brings expectations, too. Where he takes his game can impact how far EL can go this fall.

“I think he’s relied upon so heavily that he feels like the burden is on his shoulders,” Andreasen said. “When he was at Lewiston, I think he could afford to take a night off every once in awhile because there’s so much talent there.”

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