If heart alone could win a game, Lakewood’s Leopards would have come away from James Kenan Wednesday night, but some mental errors and a faster Tiger squad gave the home team the 2-0 win.

Yet Lakewood coach Jay Faircloth had nothing but good things to say about his young Leopard squad. “They fought through it all, they never quit and they played with a lot of heart. That’s really all a coach can ask from them,” Faircloth said.

“We’ve simply not been able to get the breaks we’ve needed. That happens in soccer. It’s not that my guys aren’t playing good soccer, we either are running up against a team with more speed, like James Kenan, or one with more skill sets. We’re working on both and we are going to get there.”

Faircloth praised the work of his defense, particularly that of Lucas Dudley and Manny Viruet. “They could have easily scored a bunch more goals had it not been for them. They played hard.”

In fact, the coach said, his entire team played hard.

“We had a few mental errors and they cost us, but I can’t say these guys didn’t give it their all because they did, and I’m proud of them.”

As a first-year coach, Faircloth said it was his job to take a look at his team and figure out what that one thing is that will take them over the edge and into the win column more often.

“We’re so close, so very close. I can see it and I can feel it. I’ve just got to figure out what it is. But we’re learning every day; these guys have great enthusiasm.”

Lakewood will host Hobbton’s Wildcats Monday in a 5 p.m. game.