LEWISTON — Coach Dan Gish wanted to see improvements from his Lewiston boys soccer team against Mt. Blue on Thursday night.

The Blue Devils didn’t disappointment.

Five players scored goals and Lewiston cruised to an 8-0 win in a Class A North game at Don Roux Field.

“We finally have some people healthy, and our possession looked a lot better,” said Gish. “Our finishing is coming around. We’re not there, but we will be there eventually. It was solid from start to finish.”

Senior midfielder Mechi Mbele led Lewiston (3-1-1) with three goals, while junior Nathan Dimandya added two. Jimmy Morgan, Abdirauf Hersi and Bakar Ibrahim also scored.

“I’m happy that we were able to come out today and put on a performance for the people that came out to watch us,” said Ibrahim, a senior forward.

Added senior midfielder Filipe Kiangala: “The first three games, we didn’t perform very well. But now, with back-to-back wins, that’s a good feeling.”

Mt. Blue, which entered the game third in the Class A North Heal points, fell to 3-2.

Lewiston took a 4-0 lead with 18:53 left in the first half, then added four more goals in the second. Lewiston goalkeeper Will Diamond-Stanic needed just two saves to secure the shutout.

How did they get there?

Quick passing and quick scoring. Lewiston put pressure on the Cougars throughout. Mbele scored his first goal with 28:52 remaining in the first half, cutting across the pitch before nailing a shot into the top corner of the net, past Mt. Blue goalkeeper Kooper Keller.

Two minutes later, Morgan made it 2-0, finding an open space in a scrum in front of the net. Dimandya converted a penalty kick three minutes after that.

Mbele scored again with 18:53 left in the first half.

“As a team, it was something we realized: The most important thing at the end of a game is just winning,” said Ibrahim. “It doesn’t matter who scores. At the end of the day, we just want to win and give our community something to enjoy.”

Gish is happy with the team’s depth and interchanged players throughout the match.

“I was impressed with our poise and what we wanted to do against them tactically,” Gish said.

Key moment of the game

Mbele’s second goal was a thing of beauty. Mbele met a cross with his forehead to knock the ball into the net.

They said it

“We need to be consistent every day. That includes training. When we train, we need to train like (the way) we want to play. It has to be at a high standard. The games should be fun. We put in a lot of hard work.” — Lewiston coach Dan Gish.

“We’ve been practicing for this (game) all week, practicing day in and day out. We’re Lewiston, and this is what we’re capable of. One hundred percent, we show it every time and we’re going to keep on doing it.” — Lewiston junior midfielder Mohammud Osman.

Statistical leaders

Lewiston: Mechi Mbele (3 goals), Nathan Dimandya (2 goals), Jimmy Morgan (1 goal), Abdirauf Hersi (1 goal), Bakar Ibrahim (1 goal)

Mt. Blue: Kooper Keller (4 saves)