Lakota West and Sycamore played to a scoreless tie when they met in a regular-season boys soccer match on Sept. 20 at Lakota West and a 1-1 tie in the only match they played in the 2011 season.

The Greater Miami Conference rivals met again Monday night at Lakota East with much more at state — staying alive in the Division I district tournament . And second-seeded Lakota West did just that, squeezing out a 2-0 in a sectional championship match that was closer than the score indicated.

Junior midfielder Kyle Brotherton scored the only goal the Firebirds would need in the 27th minute of the first half. The Lakota West defense did the rest, stifling an Aviator offense that put together several rushes, but could produce only five shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Joe McClanahan stopped them all, helping the Firebirds turn in their 14th shutout win of the season.

“We were trying to give them as little space as possible,” said junior defender Hunter Stiger, who assisted on Brotherton’s goal. “We couldn’t let them get a shot off. If they score a goal, the momentum could change.”

Lakota West (15-1-2), a regional finalist last season and the No. 4 team in the state coaches’ association poll, is scheduled to face the winner of Monday’s match between Xenia and Fairmont on Thursday at 7 p.m. at a site that is still to be determined.

Brotherton scored on a short header off a high-arcing, 20-yard pass from Stiger with 13:02 left in the first half.

“I saw Kyle making a good run and getting distance between him and his defender,” Stiger said. “I was able to put it right on, and he made a good finish.”

Senior forward Evan Westbrock tacked on an open-net goal on an assist from junior forward Joe Clear with 9.5 seconds left in the match.

That Lakota West relied on its defense was no surprise to coach Rick Cooper.

“We stay organized and don’t give up many opportunities,” Cooper said. “What you saw tonight is who we are. Our offense is one that scores goals by committee. We don’t have one guy you can mark.”