No matter the sport, the further a team advances in the postseason, the more will be asked of the team’s defense.

Points, goals, and runs all seem to come harder in the playoffs, so preventing them is paramount.

Chalk one up for the Lincoln-Way Central boys soccer team’s defense, as the Knights shut out District 210 rival Lincoln-Way East 3-0 on Wednesday in a Class 3A Joliet West Sectional semifinal.

The win advances second-seeded Central to Saturday’s 11 a.m. title match against 12th seed Lincoln-Way West, which beat top seed Stagg 1-0 on Tuesday.

The Knights’ back line, consisting of Aidan Byrne, Nathan Claybrook, Chuck Stevens and Carter Krynski among others, repeatedly turned the Griffins away when they attacked, rarely allowing a shot on goal. When there was a shot, keeper Jake DeMik was right there to stop it.

The Griffins (12-12) had more chances in the first half than the Knights (17-4), as they had the wind at their back.

It didn’t matter, though, as Central got on the scoreboard when Aidan Wojtczak scored from the middle of a mass of humanity in front of the Griffin goal off a throw-in from the sideline. That goal stood for the rest of the first half and the Knights took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

“It was nice for us to get a goal when we were going into the wind,” Lincoln-Way Central coach David Brown said. “Sometimes we actually play worse when we have the wind, so getting a goal against the wind was big for us.

“Our back line has been the lifeline of this team all year. Early in the season, we weren’t scoring much, but we weren’t giving up many goals, either. I think after 10 games, we had 18 goals, but we had only allowed four. For us to score first and put them back on their heels gave us some momentum and we were able to generate some chances in the second half.”

Less then five minutes into the second half, Central senior captain Connor Pate scored to give his team a 2-0 lead. With 24:00 left, Pate had a breakaway and got off a shot. Lincoln-Way East keeper Shane Kerley made the save, but it bounced right to Central’s Derrick Rafasz, who put it in the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.

“It’s always more fun when we play another Lincoln-Way team,” Pate said. “The last two years, we have played Lockport and Stagg in the sectional and got beat both times. Playing another Lincoln-Way team is always special, especially in my senior year. I know a lot of guys on both the East and West teams, so getting to play both of the in the sectional is pretty cool.

“This year’s team is pretty young. We have a good core of seniors, and we have been able to lead the team. Seeing the underclassmen light up when they play in a match like this is really fun, and I am glad to be a part of keeping the program going. I’ve been on the varsity since I was a freshman, so I’ve been on both sides. I’ve had older players lift me up when I made a mistake, and I try to do the same thing for the younger guys on this team.

“Our back line is one of the biggest strengths for our team. It takes a lot of pressure off the guys on offense. We know we can take some chances because the guys on defense aren’t going to give up a goal. We can be more aggressive and that helps out a lot.”

Playing with the lead, the Knights were able to keep the ball away from the Griffins, who had just one shot on goal in the second half, which DeMik saved.

“Getting that second goal early in the second half was huge,” Brown said. “Being ahead 2-0 instead of 1-0 is a big weight off. Now it would take two mistakes to tie things up instead of just one. We knew this would be a battle, and to take a two-goal lead was big for us.

“With all three Lincoln-Way schools in this sectional, it is a little more incentive for us. These kids have grown up playing either with or against each other since they were little. We have a lot of respect for both Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West. It’s a rivalry, sure, but it’s a rivalry built on respect.”