By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAKE CHARLES — St. Charles Catholic went toe-to-toe with perennial power St. Louis for much of the first half of Saturday’s Division III quarterfinal soccer matchup, but the Saints controlled things the rest of the way en route to a 5-0 victory, continuing on their quest to win a fifth state crown in the past six years.

The Comets’ quarterfinal finish was their best since 2008, when SCC fell to Newman in the quarterfinal round.

The teams were tied 0-0 for 30 minutes before St. Louis scored its first goal.

The Saints added another score just before half to earn some breathing room, then scored three times in the second half.

“The boys did well,” St. Charles coach Sean LeBlanc said.

“We created some opportunities. Once (St. Louis) got one in on a corner throw, really their specialty, our guys stayed true to form, kept fighting, kept playing.

“That third goal kind of took the wind out of our sails. Our guys have a lot to be proud of, though.”

LeBlanc said the Comets were able to accomplish many of the goals they set before the season.

“I think we were able to put St. Charles Catholic back on the soccer map,” LeBlanc said.

“We earned a lot of respect around the state and had a memorable season. It’s a good building block for our program.”

The Comets will lose a number of starters to graduation entering next season, including leading goal-scorer Albert Hane, but LeBlanc says the cupboard is hardly bare.

“We’ve got some talent coming back,” he said. “I think we’ll have a solid team next season, and two years from now, we could be set up to make another big push.”

He said this season’s team had a lot of success based on the development of upper-classmen who had played together for multiple years.

“We had a group of senior starters who have been with me since their sophomore year,” LeBlanc said.

“They knew what I expected and knew how to play with one another.

“Everything came more natural to them and they became more comfortable, and that always goes a long way.”