BANGOR, Maine — The difference between teams seeded fourth and fifth in any postseason scenario generally is slight.
For a Bangor High School boys soccer team ranked fourth in Class A North, the difference between advancement and elimination Tuesday was one well-placed shot.
Sophomore Garth Berenyi struck from long range in the 12th minute of play off an assist from Eli Clein as the Rams edged fifth-seeded Brunswick 1-0 in a regional quarterfinal.
“Fortunately for us, that one goal stood up for the rest of the game,” said Bangor coach Billy Shannon. “We were organized and managed to get through it. The guys did a good job; they deserved this win.”
Bangor (11-3-1) will play at top-ranked Lewiston in a 5 p.m. semifinal Friday. The Blue Devils (15-0) pulled away to a 5-0 quarterfinal win over rival Edward Little of Auburn, and defeated the Rams by the same score in their lone regular-season meeting.
Brunswick concluded its season at 10-4-1.
The lone goal of the match came off a restart, as Berenyi directed a short, left-side corner kick to Clein, who quickly returned the ball to Berenyi for a line-drive 35-yard shot that tucked itself nearly perfectly into the upper right corner of the goal.
“I played Eli short and he had a man on his back so I said, ‘Man on,’ and got the ball back, and then just hit it to the corner of the box,” said Berenyi.
“I knew when I had it that I was definitely going to try to put it on frame,” he added. “When I hit it, it looked good and it found its way.”
Brunswick goalie Josh Dorr, who was stationed more toward the near goal post to cut off the angle, had no chance to stop Berenyi’s high, hard-hit attempt.
“It was a phenomenal shot,” said Clein. “I saw it was lined up and was hoping he was going to take it, and when he did, it was great.”
It was one of the few high-quality chances either team had during the match, as play was concentrated between the penalty boxes.
Brunswick’s best bid game during the second half when senior midfielder J.D. Souza blasted away from the top of the penalty area only to be denied by Bangor goalie Stanley Clarke.
Clein countered moments later with his second serious bid of the game, a low liner from the top of the penalty area that Dorr dove to his left to re-direct wide of the post.
“It was tight during the season when we played them previously (a 1-1 tie at Brunswick),” said Clein. “I think the atmosphere and the homefield advantage helped us a lot.”
Bangor finished with a 9-5 edge in shots. Clarke made five stops to preserve the shutout and Dorr made three saves for Brunswick.
