The Indians started their City Playoff campaign on the right foot with convincing wins against Soto, Spry Community Links and Lake View to advance to the Round of 16 of the City Playoffs, with their game having been played on Sept. 28.

Starting the playoffs on Sept. 21 against Soto at Marine Leadership Academy, Lane was able to win 4-1 away from home with goals from senior midfielders Drew Kelner, Div. 954 and Cathal O’Connor, Div. 958, as well as senior forwards Gregory Biederman, Div. 955, and Fernando Alvarado, Div. 982. Assisting on goals were Alvarado and junior midfielders Justin Owens, Div. 057, and David Arroyo, Div. 057.  

The next day, the Indians were able to carry their dominant performance from the day before against Spry Community Links on Sept. 22 at Kelly High School, starting right where they left off the day before with an 8-1 win.

Alvarado had an impressive performance with 3 goals and 3 assists, as did O’Connor, who had 2 goals and an assist, and Arroyo, who had a goal and 2 assists. Juniors Kamil Hochman, Div. 057, and Michael Junay, Div. 076, also scored goals in the 8-1 rout.

“I was trying to make my mark on the game,” Alvarado said. “I hope I’ll be able to impact the next game in some way, like scoring a goal. At the end of the day though, it’s not about what I do, it’s about the team.”

The last game of the group stage was against local rival, Lake View. This would prove to be a good test for the Indians; they won 2-1 with two goals from O’Connor, with the winning goal breaking the 1-1 deadlock in the second half. Assisting on O’Connor’s goals were junior defender Daniel Rau, Div. 051 and senior defender Jae Ryding, Div. 951.

Lane’s focus then shifted to the knockout stages.

Alvarado said that he thought the group stage games gave the team a good opportunity to prepare for the importance of the knockout stages.

“These games helped us to see the flaws in our system and what we’re lacking,” Alvarado said. “They prepared us for the harder games.”

With the stakes getting higher and higher with each game, the Indians have changed the way that they prepare for games.

“We practice penalties at the end of every practice and we work on finishing more,” Alvarado said. “It’s just basics, but the extra practice means a lot. We also go a little bit lighter in practice to avoid injuries or fatigue, whereas at the beginning of the season, our preparations were more focused with getting in shape.”

Knockout playoff games are different in terms of importance and the Indians are going to have to be at the top of their game to be able to make a run. Alvarado spoke about how Lane as a team elicits a reputation of success that causes other teams to up their game.

“Every time teams play against us they try their hardest,” Alvarado said. “They don’t go easy on us and they push us to go harder because they’re motivated to play against us. It makes our games a little bit harder.”

Alvarado said that he thought that no team can be taken lightly at this point in the season.

“Anything can happen,” Alvarado said. “You can’t underestimate any team in the knockout stages.”

Lane’s Round of 16 game resulted in a 5-0 victory against Curie on Sept. 28 at Solorio Academy High School. Their Quarterfinal game the following day, Sept. 29, resulted in a 2-1 loss to Washington, who advances to the Semifinals. The remaining teams are Washington, Juarez, Hancock, and Solorio.