EATON — If Eaton’s girls soccer team needed any extra motivation in its sectional final match up with visiting Middletown Madison last week they didn’t need to look any further than how the Mohawks voted during the seeding process.

Madison tabbed the Eagles as the 12th best team in the 19-team field. Eaton eventually earned the No. 6 seed but still felt they had a point to prove when the Mohawks, the No. 12 seed, arrived.

Although Eaton coach Kevin Schaeffer felt his team might have been slighted by the voting, he also understood why the Mohawks may have put his team so low. When the teams met earlier this season that contest ended in a 1-1 tie. It was Eaton’s first game of the season and the fourth for Madison.

In the second meeting, Eaton may have played its best soccer of the season, according to Schaeffer, coming away with a 3-0 win on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in a Division IV sectional final.

“I told them I saw some of the best soccer they played all year individually, and then as a team, they did exactly what they were supposed to do,” Schaeffer said. “We were concerned about being one dimensional. We always are like, possess, possess, possess, and it’s like we don’t turn that into direct, dangerous play. We were pinging it; we were attacking through the middle, we were getting it wide, having our crosses, getting direct goal, playing some long balls.”

Schaeffer said that’s been one aspect of the game his team has been short on.

“That’s the one thing I think was missing, is us being direct and dangerous. So yeah, I’m pleased with them. They all did well. I mean, a team that’s had a pretty good season over there, I think Hannah (Reddick) made three saves,” he said. “We made tons of excuses for that first one. It was our first game. It was their fourth. That makes a big difference just getting a couple games under your belt. So I thought we were two or three or four goals better than them. And I mean, could have had six or seven.”

Eaton scored on a penalty kick by Myla Roberts with 17:28 left in the first half. She added a second goal with 4:29 left in the first half to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

Eaton’s final goal came with 19:43 left when Eva Roberts scored on header off a corner kick.

As for the seeding, Schaeffer said he told his team they need to prove they were better than the 12 seed.

“I told them this is a game where we got to prove something. They voted us the 12th seed out of 19 teams,” he said. “But I don’t really blame them because we didn’t play very well the first time we played them. So, nothing against that. But, I mean, that’s what I told the girls, they think there were the 12th best team. We got to prove that we’re better.”

Eaton, 10-5-3, was scheduled to host No. 8 seed Kenton Ridge on Monday, Oct. 21 in the district semifinals. The winner advances to the district final, which is scheduled to be played Thursday, Oct. 24 at a neutral site.