Merrimack's Danyil Kovryzhenko, left, and Nashua South's Cayden Ninteau follow the bouncing ball during a 1-1 tie at MHS on Tuesday. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

MERRIMACK – It was a game that left you wanting more.

But, alas, the soccer coaches around the state voted to get rid of regular season overtime, so the Merrimack and Nashua High School boys had to settle for a 1-1 tie Tuesday at Student Memorial Field – just when it was really getting good.

Both teams had plenty of quality chances, both goalkeepers made quality, if not spectacular, saves. But the team that was breathing a sigh of relief afterward were the Panthers. That’s because they trailed 1-0 through much of the contest until Marcell Perry put a rebound of Leonel Lopez’ shot past Merrimack keeper Armin Omeragic with just 4:40 left in regulation. Omeragic was magic before that, as he ended up with eight saves.

“Hey, we’ll take it,” South coach Tom Bellen. “Had to get on them at halftime, and they usually step up to the challenge. Even though we had possession in the first half, we didn’t have a lot of dangerous stuff, because we didn’t have anyone connecting.

“We finally broke it down a little bit (in the second half) … we had some chances, we probably could have buried four or five, and they could have probably buried two more at the end of the day. It was a good match.”

Merrimack, meanwhile, got their tally on a rebound goal as well, Ryan Cirillo putting it home after South keeper Ethan Long (seven stops) had dove to bat away a blast from Daniel Kovryzhenko at 18:40 into the first half for a 1-0 Tomahawks lead.

“My guys played for 70 minutes but the last 10 were a tough one to defend, where we needed energy,” Merrimack coach Mirsad Islamovic said. “But again, I thought it was a good game for both sides. I enjoyed it much – and both goalies had some good saves.”

The Panthers aren’t quite the power that they’ve been, but they’re a contender and this leaves them at 3-1-1 going into Thursday’s game vs. Hanover at Stellos Stadium.

But new to the contender party are the Tomahawks, who started out 4-0 and are now 4-1-1.

“We’ve been keeping the same kids for a long time,” Islamovic said. “A lot of these players were freshmen on the varsity, starting. So there’s a consistency, and there’s also chemistry. … that’s the most important thing for us.”

“They’re athletic, they’re pretty blue collar, and they’re going to give everyone a problem because they keep going and going and going,” Bellen said of the ‘Hawks.

After South tied it, Merrimack made a run that Long withstood, and a couple of open chances missed the net. Omeragic came up big as well.

“At the end of the day, people come back under those conditions, get a goal late, and keep pushing. … That’s the stuff you ask of those kids,” Bellen said.

And that’s why you wouldn’t have been wrong to ask for more.