HAMPDEN, Maine — Tyler Lehman’s name was nowhere to be found on the game program for Saturday afternoon’s Class D boys soccer state championship match.
But the Bangor Christian junior made sure it was in the scorebook. Lehman’s goal 12 minutes into the match stood the test of time and considerable Richmond pressure to propel the Patriots to a 1-0 victory at the Weatherbee Complex.
The title is the second straight and seventh in nine years for coach Aaron Wilcox’s club.
“They have been talking about this (matchup) for a while,” said Wilcox, whose teams have won eight state titles overall during his 20-year BC coaching tenure. “They really, really wanted this.”
In 2014, Richmond had beaten BC 3-0 to end the Patriots state-record-setting run of five consecutive championships from 2009-2013.
Lehman’s eventual game-winner game came just 11:58 into the first half as he headed in a long service from teammate Erik Gorczok.
“I saw Erik hit a nice chip over the defender,” said Lehman. ““He just wants to hit it as far as he can and he saw me. It was a great ball.”
Gorczok, a senior who shifted from striker to midfield this season, lofted his kick from the right wing near midfield toward the left goalpost. Lehman was anticipating the play and jumped to the ball first with a header inside the near post.
“I was happy for Tyler, he’s struggled this year and hasn’t scored nearly the goals he did last year so I was really happy for him to be able to finish that and get his head on it,” said Wilcox. “He’s a fairly tall kid so we try to get some up there for him and see what he can do.”
Bangor Christian (16-2) was left to defend that lead for nearly 80 minutes and withstood numerous offensive forays by Richmond, particularly during the second half.
“We were playing way more defensive,” said BC forward Dean Grass, one of eight seniors listed on the Patriots’ roster. “One-zero and any mistake can cost you, and we just weren’t having that mistake.”
That effort included Grass, a defender during his first three years, shifting back to his former position midway through the second half as the Patriots sought their fourth straight shutout victory of this postseason — the last three by identical 1-0 scores.
Coach Peter Gardner’s Bobcats (16-2) didn’t make it easy, with seniors Zach Small — who played goalie for Richmond against BC as a freshman in the 2014 state final — and Matt Rines among those applying the most challenging offensive pressure against the Patriots.
Richmond’s best bid came with a little more than five minutes left in the match, when senior Nathan Kendrick got a solid look at the net and directed a 25-yard shot toward Bangor Christian senior goalie Austin Keib. Keib couldn’t gain control of the ball and it trickled near the goal line before Rines redirected the ball just wide of the left post.
Rines had one final chance with 25 seconds left, only to have his header sail inches over the crossbar.
“They put up a good fight,” said Lehman, “but we kept our composure and played a good game and that’s all that matters.”
Richmond finished with an 11-6 edge in shots on goal, with Keib stopping all 11 shots he faced while senior Trystin Shea made five saves for the Bobcats.
“Coming into this I had butterflies since I woke up,” said Grass, “and I think every guy on this team could vouch for that because they had the same feeling.
“But it’s incredible to win a second state championship with my boys. I just remember looking up at the clock and watching every minute and every second ticking down until I finally held that gold ball in my hands.”
Follow BDN Maine Sports on Facebook for the latest in Maine high school and college sports.
