North Stonington — Signs emerged over the summer that this could be a special season for Wheeler High School boys' soccer team.

The Lions showed up in force for workouts.

"We had conditioning in the summer and almost the whole team showed up," junior Scott Pion said. "That hasn't happened in years. I could tell everybody was taking it serious. Everybody had the same goal — to win the Small Division. We've almost done it."

Wheeler put itself in prime position to win the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division IV title on Thursday with a 2-0 shutout of St. Bernard, the biggest roadblock for the Lions. Junior Conor Melinosky and Pion each scored a second-half goal and junior goalie Bowen Baker earned the shutout with four saves.

The Lions (7-3, 5-0) need two wins in their final three games to accomplish the ECC divisional title feat for the first time. They swept the season series with the Saints (5-3, 3-2), taking the first meeting, 4-2.

"I don't want to be co-champions," said Wheeler coach Joe Mendonca Sr. "This was the game that we needed to win. And the kids came through and they did a great job. ... This group, it's been a pleasure to be around them. They're working very hard."

Odds favor the Lions running the table in the division since they have outscored their remaining Division IV foes — Plainfield, Tourtellotte and Putnam — by a combined 14-0 margin the first time around.

"It would be great," said Mendonca, who's in his 21st season. "Not for me, but for them. I want them to be successful."

Thursday's game opened up after a choppy first half. Both teams settled down and played attacking soccer. Intensity picked up.

Wheeler's extended pressure paid off.

The nifty scoring play began with Melinosky collecting the ball in the midfield and dribbling toward the box. He executed a perfect give-and-go with junior Ian Spracklin and finished it off by sliding the ball past a charging Martin Arvidson and into the open goal with about 32 minutes left in the game.

"We got a burst of energy after that," said Pion, whose part of a dedicated and impactful junior class.

So did the Saints.

The dangerous duo of Billy Niles and Shane Sutton forced the Wheeler defense to scramble. Baker raced out to clear a ball just before Niles arrived on the scene and then made a sliding kick save on Sutton's low, point-blank shot.

Pressure eased up when Pion extended the lead to 2-0 with just under 17 minutes remaining. Stationed near the top of the box, Pion made a nice move to shake a defender and find some space before firing a hard, high shot into the right corner.

The stingy Wheeler defense helped close out the win. It's the first time St. Bernard has been shut out this season.

"Overall, they did a good job of containing us," St. Bernard coach Joe Purtill said. "I think we played better this time than we did last time we played them. ... We did have chances. They probably had a few more chances than we did but they capitalized and we didn't. That's the difference sometimes."

"... They're a little frustrated. But that's all on Wheeler and their defense. They did a good job."

Wheeler had extra reason to celebrate on Thursday. The Lions secured a state tournament berth on Thursday for the first time since 2014.

"It's huge for our team," Pion said. "That was our goal."

g.keefe@theday.com