When Auburn Mountainview took the field on May 13 against Decatur, there was swagger about the group that loomed over the Gators.

The Lions dominated the Gators 5-1 on a chilly Tuesday night and guaranteed a third bout against Kent-Meridian for a trip to the state tournament.

When the district bracket was released, the Lions were given the second seed with just Silas High School as the lone team in front of them. The Lions fell 2-1 to seventh seeded Central Kitsap in the second half of overtime and was tasked with Decatur with their season on the line.

“It felt good to play our soccer, our game. Saturday we got off our game, it was ugly. Probably the worst game we had played all season, which was unfortunate because Central Kitsap was a good side,” Manager Joey West said.

Senior Praneet Singh got the Lions on the board in the 14th minute to take a 1-0 lead and no more than 30 second later Sergio Mercado hit a wonder strike from 30 yards away from the goal to beat goalkeeper Andrew Lang. Mercado hadn’t scored in three games, but was still involved with assists up until this game.

“It felt good to get back on the scorer’s sheet. I had a deficit from the beginning of the season to the end. But it feels nice when I am surrounded by teammates like Benji Toscano, who can really push me to do my best,” Mercado said.

The quick strike ability from this Lion side is what makes them special. A team that was a game away from the 3A final a year ago has eyes from another deep postseason run. They relied on that experience from the final four run a season ago to get them back on track this time around.

“It helped us realize that we can bounce back. We lost to Kentlake last year and that was our pivot point. I honestly feel like this last game against Central Kitsap may have been our wake-up call,” West said.

It was a strong first half for the Lions. who showed their offensive prowess and just overwhelmed the Decatur defenders and goalkeeper. In the 29th minute, Cole Gonzales put his name on the scorer’s sheet with an assist from Benji Toscano.

Decatur did respond with a goal in the 35th minute for their first goal against Auburn Mountainview in 195 minutes against the Lions this season.

The Gators could have used the goal as a sling-shot back into the game, but right as first half stoppage time began, Benjamin Yitbarek sent a perfect pass to Pablo Montiel running down the middle of the field. Montiel snuck the ball into the back of the net to cap a four-goal half for the Lions.

Outside of the one goal, the Lions’ defense put Decatur in a stranglehold.

The second half saw the Lions control the ball and control the chances, but no goals came until the final minutes of the game. Montiel scored his second goal of the night to secure the 5-1 win.

In three games this season, the Lions have outscored Decatur, 12-1, with a pair of five goal performances. Now their eyes turn to Kent-Meridian on May 15, who they tied 3-3 in the second contest of the season at home, after the Lions defeated them 2-0 at French Field in the first meeting.

“I’m excited for what we can do. I’m excited to have Sergio back and Ochoa back. It’s hard to face KM when you don’t have your starting goalkeeper in goal,” West said.

It’s not loser out, but due to the familiarity, the game is going to be high octane. Jonathan Ochoa-Felix and Mercado didn’t play against Kent-Meridian in the second matchup.

“We just have to play the same way we played the first time around. We were missing key players last game and Joey said some ties are losses some are wins. That tie was a win, we have come back, regrouped and have had time to play our style again,” Mercado said.