If the Lyons boys soccer team needed a wake up call before the start of the Class AA playoffs, Lockport provided the Lions with all the motivation they needed on Saturday.

Just when Lyons thought it was going to cruise to an easy nonconference win, the Porters made coach Paul Labbato’s crew sweat out a 4-3 road victory.

Tyler Kuehn, Jake Federlick and Chris Meingast scored early to give Lyons (12-4) a 3-0 cushion. But behind the play of Bob Novak, Lockport cut the deficit to one before the half.

“This was the third game in a row for our guys, and we were tired,” said Labbato, whose team recorded wins over York and Proviso West last week. “We’re just happy to get out of here with a win.”

Alex Bratu’s goal 16 minutes into the second half was the eventual game-winner for the Lions, who will play Downers North and Benet this week before the Class AA playoffs kickoff next week.

“When we went up 3-0, we kind of laid back,” Bratu said. “Lockport was about to give up, but they picked up the intensity and came at us. We’re happy we got the win though.”

Lyons is the No. 3 seed in its own sectional, which has a couple new powerhouses added to the mix this fall. Downers Grove South and Hinsdale Central were moved out of the Neuqua Valley Sectional to the Lyons Sectional this year. The Mustangs are the No. 1 seed followed by Morton, Lyons, Oak Park and Hinsdale Central.

The Lions will open the postseason Oct. 17 at Hinsdale South against Guerin. If Labbato’s crew advances, it will face the winner of Hinsdale South and Downers Grove North in the regional title game on Friday. If the sectional seeds hold correct, Lyons would face Morton in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 23. A year ago, the Mustangs ended the Lions’ chances of earning their second consecutive state berth in the sectional final.

The winner of the Lyons Sectional will face the winner of the St. Xavier Sectional in the Toyota Park Supersectional on Oct. 29. Kelly is the No. 1 seed in the St. Xavier Sectional. Lyons and Kelly were supposed to play one another in the fourth round of the Pepsi Showdown last month, but the game was postponed due to scheduling conflicts.

“We need to spend some time training before our first playoff game,” Labbato said. “We have some injuries, too. But as long as we manage everything correctly, we should be all right and ready to go for the state playoffs.”