MANCHESTER - Heading into Saturday's Manchester Invitational, LaVille had played just two matches. Meanwhile, Logansport came in with six matches in their pocket, Western five, and the host Squires three. It was the Lancers that utilized confidence and energy to come away with a pair of hard-fought victories to successfully defend their 2023 tournament championship.  Coach Kevin Christy's club shut out Logansport and held off Manchester for a pair of victories to earn the 2024 championship. "I thought we played well," said LaVille coach Kevin Christy.  "It was nice to see how they would respond after the first couple of matches to start the season.We responded against some competition that we don't normally see." In the opener, senior Mikalah Kuskye put LHS on the board first, following an assist by Macie Edwards in the 21st minute.  Kuskye then netted her second goal of the match to make it 2-0, just before halftime. While the Lancers kept Logansport busy with shots on goal, the LHS defense continued to play solid ball. "The team played very well together," said senior Kikalah Kuskye.  "We only had two games under our belt coming into this tournament but talking with many of my teammates we had the confidence and energy to win this tournament again. We connected passes well and really started to find each other throughout the two games. We really came together as a team and couldn't have pulled the win off without each and everyone that played."  The Lancer senior worked herself open enough to score her third goal of the match on a pass by Ava Barrett-Heaton.   LaVille outshot the Berries, 21-2. Kuskye finished with the hat trick to lead the Lancers to a 3-0 victory and a rematch against Manchester in the title match.  The Squires defeated Western, 7-1, in the other first round matchup. "Offensively I felt we played well together, especially against Logansport," noted Christy. "Going in we had to play through a couple injuries, nothing major, but we bounced back.  Logansport and Manchester both had big squads, with a lot of subs." After a quick team break and a switch of fields, Christy's team got set for a rematch against Manchester. In 2023, the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation.  LaVille won the tournament title following a 3-1 advantage in the shootout. On Saturday, it was another classic battle between the two potential sectional foes. Kuskye once again put the Lancers on the board by netting the first goal of the match in the 30th minute. It remained a 1-0 score at halftime. Manchester scored quickly to open the scored half to tie the match at 1-1 in just the first minute of the half. The two teams battled for possession as they tried to find the net. It was the LaVille defense and a well-timed pass and goal by Kuskye on an assist from Mackena Deason for the game-winner in the 50th minute. "We have a great team defense that we have started to figure out how to play," explained Kuskye.  "Sadly, one of our very good defenders, Ava (Barrett-Heaton) got hurt so we had to change the lineup around a little bit but that didn't stop us. (Ava still played in Manchester but was subbed in and out frequently because of her injury) We have our midfielders come back and help sweep up anything that our defense can't handle.  "In regards to our Manchester game, it came down to marking up and making sure that they had very little space to get a shot off and that's what helped us win the game." When asked about the game-winning goal, Kuskye was quick to credit her teammates. "Honestly, the assist from Mackena was just a perfect ball at the perfect time," Kuskye said of the shot.  "I can't really remember how everything went down, but Mackena had a great pass that set up a perfect shot for me. I give a lot of credit to Macie and Mackena because they set the play up in order for me to score the second goal to win." Christy was proud of his defense, allowing just one goal in two matches over the weekend. "We kind of played like I talked about before the season, where we attack as a unit and fall back," explained Christy. "Manchester is a really good team. They brought a lot of offensive pressure.  They played a lot of the second half on our end and we really had to work.  It was a team effort." Kuskye finished with two goals in the match and five goals on the day to earn the tournament most valuable player. "I truly appreciate the award of being named MVP of the tournament," Kuskye said of the honor.  "I remember winning the tournament last year and saw how cool it would be to come back and win again but also being named MVP was exciting. My coaches and teammates play a key role in all of that though. I couldn't have scored any of my goals without the passes from my teammates and the belief from the coaches. I appreciate the confidence they have in me to do my very best in each game I play. All in all this win was a team effort and belief that we could do it!" According to Kuskye, playing in the Manchester Invitational gives LaVille a chance to see different teams, and an opportunity to face a potential sectional opponent. "Even though this is only the second year of participating in this tournament I really think it is a great idea to be involved in it," said Kuskye.  "It gives us an opportunity to go against teams that we rarely see and now with the switch in sectionals we get to see a preview of what Manchester will be like. It challenges us and I think we as a team have learned that we need each other to play and it really comes down to a team effort and communication." After starting the 2024 season on the road for the first four matches, LaVille (4-0) returns for its home-opener September 3 against Mishawaka (0-3). The match is set for a 5:30 p.m. start. "I am really looking forward to finally playing our first home match," the LaVille senior said. "I love the energy and atmosphere of playing at Newton Park. Some important factors that have led to our success is our adaptability and relentless effort. We are willing to make adjustments before and during games which makes us hard to beat. Our effort shows our passion for this sport and how much we really want to win." Christy is also looking forward to returning to the friendly confines in Lakeville."It's always good not to have a long bus ride before a match," laughed Christy as his club gets ready for a home match on September 3 against Mishawaka.  "With Labor Day weekend, we have had a long weekend and are as rested as they could be."It is a tough portion of the season for sure," Christy continued as LaVille gets ready for the month of September.  "Gotta keep that teamwork going.  No one is questioning the competition we are going to face over the next few weeks. We'll be ready!" MANCHESTER INVITATIONAL Match #1 First Round LaVille 3, Logansport 0 Scoring Summary LV - Mikalah Kuskye (Macie Edwards), 21st LV - Kuskye (Ava Barrett- Heaton), 37th LV - Kuskye, 56th Match Statistics Shots on Goal: LaVIlle 21, Logansport 2 Corner Kicks: LaVille 3, Logansport 2 Goalie Saves: LaVille (Denni Markin) 2, Logansport 17 MANCHESTER INVITATIONAL Match #2 Championship LaVille 2, Manchester 1 Scoring Summary LV: Mikalah Kuskye, 30th minute M: Samantha Shock (Hannah Stout), 41st LV: Kuskye (Mackena Deason), 50th Match Statistics Shots on Goal: LaVille 8, Manchester 11 Corner Kicks: LaVille 2, Manchester 3 Goalie Saves: LaVile (Denni Markin) 9, Manchester 6 Team Records: LaVille 4-0, Manchester 1-4, Western 3-3-1, Logansport 1-6-1 Next Match: Mishawaka v. LaVille Sept. 3, 5:30 p.m. at Newton Park