Vowing to “do it for the city,” Lewiston soccer team wins state title weeks after mass shooting

OAKLAND, Maine (AP) — The boy’s high school soccer team in the Maine city that was the site of a mass shooting more than two weeks ago has won the state title.

The Lewiston Blue Devils beat Deering 3-2 on Saturday in the Class A boys’ soccer state championship game.

The shootings at a bowling alley and a nearby bar on Oct. 25 in Lewiston killed 18 people and injured 13 others, making it the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history.

“We have been saying the past few weeks, ‘Do it for the city,’” Lewiston goalie Payson Goyette told the Sun Journal. “It feels great to win for the city and bring some good to the city.”

With about a minute left in the first overtime session, Tegra Mbele scored his second goal of the game, giving the Blue Devils the victory. After the goal, Mbele was mobbed by his teammates and some spectators in a celebration that the coach called “euphoric.”

“It was the joy we brought to the fans, which made them go crazy,” Mbele told the newspaper. “We just wanted to give back to the city with all they have gone through. It brings me great joy, and to everyone who made it happen.”