The Portland Phoenix Under-20 men’s soccer team won the Northeast Region with a 4-2 win over the Massachusetts Bulldogs last week. With the win, the Phoenix earned a spot in the national tournament later this month in Tampa, Fla.

If only they could go. Not enough players could commit to the trip, so the season is over for the Phoenix.

“Me and a few other guys have been on the team a few years and have finished second in the last few years,” captain Cam Omsberg said. “It’s disappointing to not be going to nationals.”

For Messalonskee High School senior Chris Hall and Omsberg, a Messalonskee graduate, playing with the Phoenix was a chance to compete at a high level of soccer and prepare for the upcoming fall season.

“I’m actually playing alongside four or five Division I players,” Hall said.

Omsberg scored a pair of goals in the win over Massachusetts. The first came on a pass from the corner. Omsberg gained control of the ball at about the 18 and fired off the shot to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Late in the first half, with the Phoenix ahead 2-1, Omsberg beat a defender to a 50/50 ball.

“I slipped by him a little bit, and came in 1 on 1 with the goalie from short range,” Omsberg said.

Beating the Bulldogs was a bit of sweet revenge for Omsberg and the other Portland veterans.

“That’s the team that’s won the last three years,” Omsberg said.

Omsberg will head back to Lehigh University in mid-August for his junior year. Last year as a sophomore, Omsberg started all 18 games for the Mountain Hawks. Injuries forced Omsberg to move from the midfield to the back, and he still finished third on the team in minutes played (1,608). Lehigh should be among the top teams in the Patriot League again.

“I think that’s where I’ll be playing (center back),” Omsberg said. “Our team has really high goals, because we have nine starters back.”

Omsberg also plays on the Phoenix’s Premier Development Team, which after a tie in Vermont and a win at Ottawa over the weekend, sits in first place in the United Soccer League’s PDL Northeast Division, four points ahead of the New Hampshire Phantoms. The PDL is a very competitive league, Omsberg said.

“I think it’s higher than (college) Division I, for the most part,” Omsberg said. “The team is really deep. Every spot has competition.”

Along with soccer, Hall is an excellent bowler, who helped Messalonskee take second place in the state high school tournament this past season. Hall finished third in the individual championship.

“Bowling is a much more mental game, because it’s just you up there,” Hall said. “Soccer, you have 10 other guys on the field with you.”

Hall played in three different soccer leagues this summer, the State Cup League, the New England Premiership, and the Super Y U-20 League. He hopes to continue playing soccer in college, and is looking at a few schools in New York.

Hall still might get that shot to play in the U-20 national tournament, as a guest player with the Massachusetts Bulldogs, who will go in place of the Phoenix.

“I’ll find out in the next couple of days,” Hall said.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com