LAKEVILLE - Training. A key part in preparation for competition in sports, band, choir, drama. You get the point. LaVille coach Keith Norman and his staff have been leading the training with the Lancers since his arrival as the head boys high school soccer coach. Tuesday that training took another step forward as LaVille won a defensive battle against conference and neighborhood rival Bremen 2-1 at Newton Park. Kadu Tostes got the Lancers on the scoreboard first, taking a pass from Clark Rowe in the 8th minute. The two clubs battled, mostly in the Bremen end of the field before LaVille took a 1-0 lead into intermission. The second half was a continuation of a classic defensive battle between the top two teams in the Indiana Northern State Conference. In the second half, however, the match was played at the LaVille end of the field, with the Lancer defense teaming with goalie Kyler Christy dodging 11 Lion shots. Norman's team mustered a few offensive runs in the second half, including a brilliant goal by Rowe, assisted by Tostes in the 76th minute. Bremen, trailing 2-0, kept the pressure on as Alex Gallegos was on the receiving end of an assist from Austin Town in scrum near the 18 that just got past the LaVille defense. As the clock ticked under a minute, the Lions made one last ditch effort to get a shot off, but the clock hit 0:00 and time ran out. We asked Coach Norman about the chat with his team prior to the match and any special message. “Honestly, there was no special message for today," said the Lancer coach. "The message was, ‘This is what we train for.’ These are the matches you work for all season, so we wanted the guys to trust what we have been doing and go play. "We were able to grow our belief and add experience. The quicker believing turns into experience, the higher the ceiling becomes. When you have players experience those moments and realize they can succeed in them, that belief continues to grow.” One integral part of LaVille's success so far this season has come from the defensive unit, with a strong backline and stingy defense, LHS locked things down when it counted most to secure the one-goal victory and the number one seed heading into Thursday's INSC Championships and the semifinal round. According to recent history, the 2-1 LaVille victory over Bremen is the first at home since at least 2013. The two victories in the series both came at Bremen. One thing that's been evident this season is Bremen's high-powered offense. The Lions have scored at least three goals in nine of their matches so far. Lately, BHS had been scoring at will, including blowout wins of 9-0 and 8-0. LHS holding the Lions to a single goal was a huge tactical victory. According to coach Norman, one part of the LaVille game that is not where they would like for it to be is the offense. “Fans enjoy the success of the team like we saw in the first half — dominating the run of play, creating more scoring chances and scoring goals," explained Norman. "What they sometimes miss is the part of the game that allows us to be exciting, fast and dangerous. That part is suffering. “We suffered in the second half. We have an experienced backline and the conference’s best goalkeeper, but ultimately it comes down to how much the team is willing to suffer together. Do they believe in and respect their training? Does the midfield drop? Does the striker put pressure on the ball? Does the team mentally break down under pressure? Do they stay organized? Most importantly, do they support each other during those moments of stress and anxiety? That willingness to suffer together is a huge part of what has made this team successful this season.” As our time closed, the LaVille skipper said, "The keys are the Big 3: stay under control, stay under control, stay under control. We have to manage our emotions, manage the moment and trust what we have trained to do. Whoever we play Thursday night, we have to be ourselves and execute.” On Tuesday, LHS took another step toward successful training in the LaVille camp. LaVille improved to 8-0 and finished the regular season at 3-0 in loop play. LHS is LAVILLE 2 BREMEN 1 At Newton Park | Lakeville, IN. Score By Half Bremen 0 1 - 1 LaVille 1 1 - 2 Scoring Summary First Half L - '8 Kadu Tostes (Clark Rowe) Second Half L - '76 Rowe (Tostes) B - '79 Alex Gallegos (Austin Town) Shots on Goal: Bremen 15, LaVille 6 Corner Kicks: Bremen 2, LaVille 2 Goalie Saves: Bremen (Isaac Garber) 4, LaVille (Kyler Christy) 14 Team Records: Bremen 8-2-1 (2-1 INSC), LaVille 8-0 (3-0 INSC) Next Match: LaVille vs. Tippecanoe Valley in 1st round of INSC Championships Thursday Sept 24 at Newton Park, 7:30 PM EDT