AUBURN — Sometimes the result isn’t truly displayed on the scoreboard.

The real outcome is shown on the faces of those who played the game.

Saturday’s scoreboard showed a 0-0 tie between the Lewiston and Edward Little boys’ soccer teams, but the reactions and expressions of the Red Eddies told a different story. The stalemate felt like a victory.

“It certainly felt like a win,” said EL coach Matt Andreasen. “The competitive son of a gun in you wants to go out and win the game. I wanted to change the formation and get two guys up front and really go for the win. At the end of the day, you need to be smart. For us, a draw was a good result. We just needed to stay disciplined and organized and hopefully keep them from scoring.”

Lewiston (8-1-2)  is ranked No. 1 in Eastern A and has scored 44 goals while allowing just seven, including six shutouts. The Blue Devils, coming off their first loss of the season, dominated EL for much of the game, but the Red Eddies managed to earn the tie.

The win bounced EL (6-4-1) up to sixth in the Eastern A standings.

“I told the kids after that they showed a lot of heart,” said Andreasen. “This Lewiston team is fantastic. They are a great club. Technical ability and skill, that can be taught. Heart is something you’re born with. Tonight, I thought we showed everybody that we really have a lot of heart over here.”

EL keeper Llewellyn Jensen was sensational in goal while the EL defense grew in stature as the game wore on. Jensen finished with 11 saves.

“Llewellyn played a great freaking game,” said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “They’ve got to be proud. I’m happy for the kid. He did exactly what he’s supposed to do. He had a career-like game. He took away some chances that we had, and we squandered some chances we shouldn’t have. That’s part of the game.”

Lewiston outshot EL 23-2 but couldn’t bury one.  EL weathered the storm early and then played more soundly late in the second half and in overtime.

McGraw noted that at this time of year, teams that were a bit scattered in their play earlier in the year are tightening things up now. That’s makes it even more challenging to finish.

“They were well organized out back,” said McGraw, whose team lost to Mt. Ararat 2-1 Tuesday. “They did a great job. We had some great chances, and it just didn’t happen for us. That’s something we have to work on. We have to take advantage of some of the things we do well.”

Lewiston possessed and utilized its speed. The Blue Devils controlled play for much of the game. When the offense got in close, Lewiston often  shot over the net or wide. They also had a number of shots blocked by defenders and were robbed by the great play of Jensen.

“They’re really fearless,” said Andreasen, whose team has scored 18 goals and allowed 14. “In the first half, one kid took a shot off the face. Another kid slid and took it in the back. They really sacrificed their bodies.”

Lewiston outshot EL 9-1 in the first half and even had a goal waived off because of an offsides call with 7:39 left.

In the second half, the Blue Devils kept coming but couldn’t beat Jensen.  Shuab Naji had a bid in front on a loose ball, but Jensen got a hand up and knocked it away. He made another diving stop to keep the game scoreless.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” said Andreasen. “He’s a basketball player and plays AAU, but he plays soccer in the fall. You can see the potential and upside that he has. He’s so long. He has great hands, and he plays angles well.”

EL’s best bid in regular came on a rush by Maslah Hassan. He was rushed on the shot and put it wide. Late in regulation, Zach Tannenbaum had a cross but Luke Sterling couldn’t get a shot off. Then Hassan had another bid in the final seconds on a free kick but shot wide.

In overtime, Lewiston’s Abdi Shariff-Hassan was alone in front and put the shot over the net. Mohamed Ali also had an open look but Jensen made the stop. He also made a diving save on Yusuf Yama.

“That’s something our kids will learn — the patience they need to play in games like this,” said McGraw. “Toward the end of the season, everybody’s getting a little closer to each other.”

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