WATERFORD MILLS - LaVille boys soccer coach Keith Norman had a clear message for his team prior to the start of Wednesday's match. " Stay together, play together," Norman reminded the Lancers as they prepared to start the 1A Bethany Christian Sectional semifinal. "Stay connected ... moving backward and forward. Goals are going to happen. Don't give up and play with energy." Norman's reminder was to encourage his club to get off to a better start than Monday, which according to the LaVille coach, "lacked intensity in the first half," against the Blackhawks. Wednesday's match against Elkhart Christian Academy had a much different start for Norman's squad. LHS played a more-concentrated match physically and mentally and never gave up in a 3-1 setback to the Eagles. It was the first time since 2019 that the Lancers were playing in a sectional semifinal. As the first half started, then played out until the halftime horn, the Lancers were engaged. They provided pressure on the ball, challenged the Eagles on offense, and looked to pass effectively and defend. With that extra energy, the two teams battled to a scoreless halftime. In the first meeting back on September 16, ECA set the tone and led 2-0 at the break. The second half continued with energy and pressure by both teams before the Eagles got on the board. Brayden Grose put ECA on the board in the 44th minute, followed by CJ Bernard's goal about 10 minutes later to put the Eagles up 2-0. ECA's Josiah Fox netted a shot to make the score 3-0 in the 70th minute. Norman's crew did not quit. Late in the match, LaVille's Sam Sherk had the ball on the left wing, connected a pass to Kalib Belknap, who then shot a rocket to the upper left corner of the net to narrow the ECA lead to 3-1, which was also the final margin. LaVille finished the season 6-9-2 overall and concluded third in the first year of the Indiana Northern State Conference. We also say thank you to our seniors - Braeden Balmer, Kalib Belknap, Aiden Johnson, Sam Sherk - for commitment and effort. Thank you also to foreign exchange Nicolo Micheli for being a part of Lancer Soccer. IHSAA BOYS SOCCER SECTIONAL 1A #34 at Bethany Christian HS Elkhart Christian Academy 3, LaVille 1 Score By Halves ECA 0 3 - 3 LaVille 0 1 - 1 Scoring Summary E - Brayden Grose, 44th minute E - CJ Bernard, 59th E - Josiah Fox, 70th L - Kalib Belknap (Sam Sherk), 74th Shots: ECA 17, LaVille 8 Corner Kicks: ECA 2, LaVille 2 Goalie Saves: ECA (Landon Grigsby) 7, LaVille (Ryan Maenhout) 14 Team Records: ECA 6-9-2, LaVille 6-9-2 (final)