ARGOS - It's never happened before ... until now. Dating back to the first-ever meeting between LaVille and Argos, the Lancer boys soccer team had never defeated the Dragons. Monday, In what was a defensive thriller for the entire match, both teams battled to a scoreless tie until Lucas Maenhout found Clark Rowe in the 68th minute. A brief celebration took place on the LaVille sidelines, and of course, the Lancer players on the field. That LHS connection between Lucas and Clark will be remembered for a long time to come, especially since it was the difference (along with the defense) in a 1-0 victory at Eugene Snyder Field. Both LaVille and Argos have met off and on in either the regular season or the IHSAA state tournament. That was until Monday Night at Eugene Field on the campus of Argos High School. How the 1-0 outcome will impact LaVille's season is yet to be determined. Coach Norman and his staff know there is more soccer to be played. "It was exactly the kind of match we expected it to be—lots of stress, lots of emotion and plenty of nerves," said Norman after the match. "This felt like a turning-point match for our program, and that comes with a lot of pressure. The boys understood the importance of the opportunity, but they also understood that they had to stay composed and continue to play our game." Norman's club will celebrate for a little while the return to the pitch to continue to battle for the Indiana Northern State Conference title. "Obviously, this was a defensive match, and our defense played a complete game," said Norman. "We came away with another clean sheet, and Kyler Christy made multiple saves that only a golden-glove infielder could have handled. "Argos has a very fast counterattack, and our guys did an excellent job anticipating the next move and being comfortable stepping up to make a play. That confidence came from executing our rotational positioning the way we've trained it. When everyone is in the right place and trusts the guy next to him, you can be aggressive defensively without putting yourself in bad positions. I thought our entire back line, midfield and Kyler worked together extremely well." LaVille outshot Argos 17-7, while Christy and the Blue Crew defense showed out against the five corner kicks taken by the Dragons. After a scoreless tie at the intermission, things played out pretty much the same through much of the second half. It was in the 68th minute that the tandem of Lucas-Clark boosted the spirits of Lancer Nation! "I saw Lucas make a move to put the ball into the box, and I had Clark running in from my side," explained Norman. "We could see them locate each other. When the ball was in the air about halfway through the box, I was probably at 50/50 on whether we were going to get to it. Then Clark settled the ball, and it went from 50/50 to, this is our goal. He calmly slotted it into the side netting, and you could feel the entire team and the sidelines change in that moment. Those are the moments you play for." The Lancers respect the history of Argos boys soccer, but defeating a small-school program like Argos can really give a team a shot in the arm. "One match doesn't make a season," Norman said matter of factly. "We still have a lot of soccer left to play. But you have to enjoy a win like this. "Argos is a respected program, and we are excited anytime we have the opportunity to compete against a program like that. It would be disrespectful to the work they've put into their program not to recognize how significant this win is for our boys. Norman had an inclination this victory against the Dragons was indeed the first-ever. "To my knowledge, this is the first boys soccer victory LaVille has had over Argos since we started the program. If I have that history correct, that's a pretty special accomplishment for these players. "I believe Argos was ranked eighth in the state in 1A when we beat them. If you want to use the state rankings as a measuring stick, it certainly looks like we're doing some things well. But for us, the bigger measure is the growth of this team and the way these boys are learning to compete." Over the past 16 meetings, LaVille has battled its southern rival. Scores like 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 have found LHS close in past history. Norman's team will enjoy this one for a short time, as Tippecanoe Valley comes to town for a pivitol INSC match. That match, played on Tuesday, finished with LHS shutting out the Vikings, 3-0, in a weather-shortened affair at Newton Park. "That's the challenge," said Norman after we asked about getting right back to business after a big win for LaVille boys soccer. "You can enjoy a big win against a solid club, but you don't get to enjoy it for very long. "The excitement from beating a program like Argos will probably make it a little difficult for some of the boys to sleep, but that's part of the experience. We trained for Tippecanoe Valley on Wednesday and Saturday last week, so we've already been preparing for this match. We're excited to get back home, execute the plan and see what we can do. Then it's right back to work Wednesday and Thursday as we prepare for another successful program in Bethany Christian on Saturday. "We're happy for the boys, but we're not satisfied. Enjoy this one, learn from it, WHAT'S NEXT." LaVille 1 Argos 0 At Eugene Snyder Field | Argos, IN, Score By Half LaVille 0 1 - 1 Argos 0 0 - 0 Scoring Summary 1st Half None 2nd Half LV -'68 Clark Rowe (Lucas Maenhout) Shots: LaVille 17, Argos 7 Corner Kicks: LaVille 4, Argos 5 Goalie Saves: LaVille (Kyler Christy) 7, Argos (Angelo McMillen) 16 Team Records: LaVille 6-0, Argos 7-2 Next Match: Sept 15 Tippecanoe Valley v LaVille at Newton Park, 6:00 PM