ARGOS - As the 32nd annual Indiana High School Athletic Association state girls soccer tournament begins, there are a few intriguing matches prior to the final round at the 1A Argos Sectional this week. The host Dragons met Rochester in the single-match opener.  The two sectional foes did not face each other in 2025, so it was a new challenge for both Argos and the Zebras. Argos started quickly, jumping ahead 4-0 by halftime and ultimately won the match 6-0 to advance to the semifinal round October 9 against LaVille. Thursday, the 5pm semifinal opener matches unbeaten and #18-ranked Culver Community against Manchester.  Argos and LaVille renew their rivalry in the nightcap at approximately 7pm.  The two survivors will return for the 1A Sectional #36 championship October 11 at 7pm. Entering the sectional round, LaVille has one advantage that not all teams get. "We've either seen or played everyone in that sectional," said LaVille coach Kevin Christy.  "We feel good that we have improved throughout the year. We learned a lot when we played Culver Community.  We played Argos really early, and we played Rochester really early and we were opposite Manchester in their tournament." In the regular season meeting at Argos, the Lancers nipped the Dragons, 3-2. At that point it was still very early in the season - August 28.  Christy felt that match came at a good time to test his club after two dominating victories. "It was a necessary game," said Christy, when asked about the early-season match at Argos. "We had two wins by comfortable margins and hadn't faced adversity. We needed a game like that. We got down early and the question was were we going to fight through it or end in a loss. "We like our chances. We had a good practice Monday and are hoping to put together a couple more here and then play whoever comes away from the Rochester-Argos game." Christy's crew fought through and were able to execute a pair of goals, including the match-winner from Lexi McQueen with five minutes left. Since that match, Christy feels like his team, along with the others, are different. "You can watch the film and you can see some tendencies about the other teams," said the Lancer skipper.  "But if they are watching film on us we aren't the team we were a month ago or six weeks ago." LHS may be one player down in Thursday's match against Argos due to an injury. "We lost a big member of our defense," noted Christy. "But I know that Lexi has been rehabbing hard to get back." The LaVille team started the season with several new players and the Lancer coaching staff knew that they would be young in spots. So where does Christy see his club now? "They have all come together nicely," explained the Lancer coach.  "We are strong on defense, we have good weapons up front, we have learned to play better through the middle. So we are kind of firing right now the way we want to after Riley where we put together a good game and so we are feeling like we are in a good spot." Heading into the sectional semifinals, Argos and LaVille have faced seven common opponents - Bremen, Culver Community, Jimtown, Mishawaka, Plymouth, Rochester, and Tippecanoe Valley. The Dragons are 2-4-1, while the Lancers are 2-5-1 . In the Thursday's first semifinal, Culver Community and Manchester did not play in the regular season in 2025.  Manchester leads the series 2-0 in recent history, including a 3-1 shootout victory on October 8, 2025. One thing is for sure ... a couple of intriguing semifinal matches Thursday at the 1A Argos Sectional. Let The Games Begin!