At the 7:35 mark of the first half in the Stoughton High boys' soccer game at Oliver Ames, OA senior captain Adam Karas fed sophomore Lucas Aroujo, who scooted the ball past Stoughton goalkeeper Michael Vulakh to put the Tigers ahead 1-0.

It was the only goal of the game for either team - launching Oliver Ames to an important early season, Davenport Division victory.

"At the end of the day, a win is a win, in terms of getting us closer to the [tournament] – because that is our ultimate goal," OA head coach John Barata said.

While the Tigers won by a narrow margin, the game was dominated by the OA offense, led by Karas, for most of the game. But, only one ball was able to find the net - which was slightly unsettling for the coach.

"It was concerning, only because in a Hockomock League that is so competitive, it’s so strong – I really don’t want them to score a goal last minute," he said. "The game could have gotten away from us with a last minute goal."

For Stoughton head coach Matt Bernstein, whose team was playing its fourth game of the week, the Black Knights just didn't come prepared.

"It’s an equal playing field when the whistle blows and you start your match, and we just didn’t meet that," he said.  "We were settling. We were playing status quo and you can’t do that."

Despite the loss, Bernstein recognizes that his team is working hard.

"It’s a good lesson learned that every opponent is different, and you’ve got to bring something different to the table," he said. "The positive thing is the guys are working hard. You can’t say that that’s not a fact."

The Black Knights were met with a brick wall OA defense, led by Sophomore Dave Stapleton and junior Kyle Arruda.

Along with Karas, captains Aaron Millman and Dave Mackinnon also contributed to the win.

With Mackinnon at goalkeeper, the Tigers, now 3-0, have not allowed a goal this season.

Stoughton (1-3) will take on Mansfield Monday at 3:30 p.m. while OA will travel to Attleboro on Tuesday.