BANGOR – Ellsworth High School’s undefeated boys soccer team received a rare scare Friday night.

But the Eagles parlayed a fluke goal from junior striker Rich Jensen just 3:51 into the game, an impressive defensive performance, and a clutch save from senior goalkeeper Noah Brown with 14:50 remaining to subdue Bangor 1-0.

Ellsworth improved to 11-0-1 while the youthful and vastly improved Rams fell to 8-4-1 after having their seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) snapped.

“Both teams played well. We got the break early,” said Ellsworth coach Brian Higgins. “Noah made some great saves and our defense played the best game I’ve seen since we beat Foxcroft in the semifinals in 1998.”

“They put a lot of pressure on you,” said skillful Bangor sophomore striker Dylan George, who was Bangor’s most dangerous attacker. “Right when you touch the ball, they’re on you. You have no time to breathe at all.”

Sweeper Andy Berry, stopper Jacques Tardie, and marking backs Matt Burns and Chad Curtis helped limit the Rams to 11 shots at goal after they had produced 41 in a 4-0 win over Brewer on Wednesday.

Brown bailed the Eagles out when Omar Conteh was set up nicely by George and he tried to curl a 15-yarder into the top corner to Brown’s right.

Brown hurled his body into the air and tipped the ball over the crossbar with his left hand.

“I saw him dribbling across and I was kind of blocked on the shot a little bit. I figured the ball would be coming in, so I was on my toes and ready for it. I barely got to it,” said Brown, who finished with three saves.

“I should have looked up to see where the goalie was,” said Conteh. “I was in a hurry. There were red shirts all around me. I took a shot and he happened to be right there and he got a fingertip on it.”

Jensen’s eighth goal of the season came about when his ground-hugging corner kick rolled along the end line and went directly in the net.

“We had a man on the near post and he thought the ball was going to go out. He moved to the side at the last moment, I wasn’t ready behind him, and it snuck right in,” said Bangor sophomore goalie Austin Smith, who turned in a solid three-save performance while facing 25 Eagle shots.

In the second half, George’s indirect free kick inside the penalty area and teammate Josh Young’s direct kick from just outside the penalty area with three seconds left both hit the Eagle wall.

The speedy Eagles dominated the first 25 minutes of both halves, but Bangor had the better of the play in the final 15 minutes of each.

“This was our most competitive game all year,” said Eagle senior striker Kris Tracy.