EDINBORO — Mercyhurst Prep coach Pedro Argaez knew defense was going to be crucial in Wednesday's playoff matchup against Slippery Rock High.

Apparently, his boys soccer team was more than able to meet that challenge.

The Lakers put the clamps on the Rockets' high-octane offense in Wednesday's District 10 Class AA semifinal game, coming away with a workmanlike 2-0 shutout at Edinboro University's Sax Harrison Stadium.

"We knew coming in with their reputation as a top-scoring team, we knew we had to play our best defensive game," said Argaez.

"We wanted to try and win the ball cleanly and not give them second chances. We needed to close their spaces quick and not give them scoring chances," he added.

Mercyhurst sophomore midfielder Rommel Uribe broke a scoreless draw with 14:10 remaining in the first half when his shot rifled past Rockets goalie Abir Chatterjee.

"I didn't think getting that first goal was that important," said Slippery Rock coach Anthony Buzard. "The game went back and forth. We had a couple of opportunities."

The Lakers (19-3) almost doubled their lead a few minutes later when Jared Ott's shot hit the post indirectly off a free kick.

At the break, Buzard tried to keep things basic.

"I told the kids the one goal was not that big of a deal," said Buzard. "We're capable of stringing them together."

But the Rockets (17-2-1) were unable to mount very many solid shots in the second half, which is what Argaez was hoping would happen.

"We knew the second goal would be really nice, but our goal was to defend the lead and stay disciplined," said Argaez.

"We had a couple of yellow cards out there, but we needed to stay disciplined and stay composed," Argaez added.

In the closing minutes, the Lakers' Pichi Fitzmaurice made it 2-0 when Chatterjee charged out of the net to make a break on the ball off the foot of Cory Hamilton.

Chatterjee and Hamilton collided and fell to the turf, which allowed Fitzmaurice to score with the loose ball.

"It's frustrating because you build for this all year around and expect it to be the year you win," said Buzard. "It's tough when you get to the big game and not able to get over the hump."

Notes: Mercyhurst Prep will face North East, which defeated Grove City 6-0 in the other semifinal, on Saturday at Harbor Creek for the District 10 title. Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs. ... Chatterjee and Lakers goalie John Eisenman each finished with seven saves.