“We just wanted to give something back to the city, with everything they’ve been through.”

From left to right, Lewiston’s Abdishakur Nur, Obed Antonio, Payson Goyette and Caden Boone celebrate Saturday, November 12, 2023 in Oakland, Maine. The boys’ team in the Maine town where a mass shooting took place more than two weeks ago won the state football title. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP

By Associated Press

November 12, 2023 | 11:28 am

OAKLAND, Maine (AP) — The high school boys soccer team in the Maine town where a mass shooting occurred more than two weeks ago has won the state title.

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

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

“We’ve been saying for the last few weeks, ‘Do it for the city,’” Lewiston goalkeeper Payson Goyette told the Sun Journal. “It feels great to win for the city and bring something good to the city.”

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

“It was the joy we brought to the fans that made them go crazy,” Mbele told the newspaper. “We just wanted to give something back to the city, with everything they’ve been through. It brings great joy to me, and to everyone who made this possible.”