INDIANAPOLIS | Lake Central junior goalkeeper Brandon Cloutier made save after dazzling save Saturday in a semifinal of the 16th annual State Finals at Kuntz Memorial Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Indians' boys soccer team, Cloutier's brilliant performance couldn't keep them from falling 1-0 to Zionsville. His highlights, however, did make a lasting impression.

"He did a great job today," Indians junior midfielder Chad Rigg said of Cloutier. "He made several saves that kept us in the game."

Perhaps the most impressive of Cloutier's eight saves was in the 33rd minute, when he stopped Zionsville senior forward Dylan Mares' first breakaway attempt.

About four minutes later, Mares had another breakaway and fired a shot that sailed high over the goal.

"I think they were scared of him, honestly," L.C. coach Jereme Rainwater said of Cloutier. "In the first half, when they had the breakaway and the kid put it over, that's not typical of Dylan Mares. I think it was because of a little bit of intimidation. Some of the big saves that Brandon made early caused that."

Many to return: Of the 25 players on L.C.'s varsity roster, only three -- forward Eppokrates Litos, midfielder Fabian Urquiza and defender Jared Schreiber -- are seniors.

"We had the least amount of seniors of any team down here at the state tournament, and I think that's a good indication of where we're gonna play last year," Rainwater said. "I think a lot of people might recognize that by our performance today."

"(Our seniors are) three of our best players, but I still think that next year we have a great chance of coming back down (to the state finals)," Rigg said. "Not many teams have that chance, so we'll keep working hard in the offseason."

Playing injured: Litos has been suffering from shin splints in his shooting leg as of late, and he could be seen limping throughout Saturday's game. Sitting out was never an option, though.

"It was painful today more than usual, but I had to fight through it," Litos said. "I can finally go to the doctor now. It could be a stress fracture in my right leg, but I had to play through it no matter what. I didn't care what anyone told me. I was gonna play no matter what."

Litos grew up in St. John but attended Morgan Park Academy in Chicago before transferring to L.C. for his senior year. Litos said he's been a longtime friend of Cloutier and junior defenders Cody Barnes and Douglas Peterson. A chance to play with his buddies in the state finals added motivation to fight through his leg injury, Litos said.

"Finally being able to play with my boys (is the memory I'll cherish most)," Litos said. "We did it. We wrote our own history. Only one other L.C. boys soccer team made it this far, so we go down in the books for that."

BOYS SOCCER | STATE FINALS NOTEBOOK