ARLINGTON — Corbin Anderson could remember the last time the Eagles beat the Tommies three years ago — which dates him among his teammates.

Nevertheless, the senior keeper did his part in just his second start back from an ankle injury to create a new memory, recording his first shutout of the season against the Tommies in a 1-0 Wesco North win, April 17.

“It was tough, but it feels so good to win this one,” Anderson said.

The match-deciding play came in the 16th minute. Attacking midfielder David Lopez fired a shot from about 20 yards away that deflected off an M-P defender and into the far side net for a score. Jake Smith was credited with the assist.

“It’s one of those moments where we tell the kids to always hit the shot hard, and that’s why,” said Arlington manager Mike Gudgeon.

The Tommies played disoriented until halftime, trying to force opportunities and giving away possessions.

“That goal might have flustered us at the start,” said M-P manager Geoff Kittle. “But the real factor today was that we couldn’t finish. We had the opportunities, we just couldn’t put them in.”

They came back with a number of chances, which included 1-on-1 opportunities, in the second half, led by senior captain Brady Ballew.

“I liked the way Brady was keeping the midfield,” Kittle said. “And he was finding Collin (Carlson) up front. I thought that was working and we played the second half in the style we wanted.”

Arlington, however, matched M-P’s skill with tenacity, getting to most of the unchecked passes and not allowing the Tommies to turn.

“That was our big focus,” Gudgeon said. “We worked on staying right on a carrier’s back so they couldn’t face us at practice all week.”

And it worked, as the Eagles’ pressure got to the Tomahawks and created a physical game in the final 40 minutes. After the match, Anderson’s voice was beginning to fade because he had been keeping a tight leash on his backline to make sure Ballew didn’t sneak through.

“They had Brady coming through all night and we had to make sure there was one or two guys on him at all times,” he said.

With the win Arlington (6-4-1) rises to just a game behind Marysville (6-3-1) to fourth in the Wesco North standings.