HASLETT - The East Lansing soccer team defeated Haslett, 2-0, to take home the CAAC Gold Cup trophy on Tuesday.

The teams battled at Mason High School, soon after Holt won the CAAC Silver Cup title, 2-1, over DeWitt.

Haslett entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed.

The Trojans were seeded fourth in the tournament, but lead the state-rankings in the Division 2 category.

"Yeah, first or fourth, it doesn't make an difference, you wanna go out there and play as hard as you can," East Lansing head coach Nick Archer said.

To reach the final, the Vikings took out rival fourth-seeded Okemos, 3-2, in the semis, and East Lansing topped No.1-seed Grand Ledge, 6-5, in a penalty kick shootout after a scoreless regular time.

An even match in the finals brought a back and fourth game in the first half, keeping both teams scoreless.

Haslett's close attempt early in the game was a header that went just over the top of the post.

East Lansing answered soon after with a similar shot, missing the goal by less than six inches, curving over the post.

Both teams created good opportunities but failed to put the finishing touches.

A quick break at half gave both teams time to regroup, but it was East Lansing who took advantage first.

A Haslett goal kick landed on Trojans' Sam Libbie's feet, who set it to himself on the right and booted the ball past the Vikings' goalkeeper Nathan Westerlund and into the left corner of the goal.

The score opened up the scoreboard and gave East Lansing the edge with over 28 minutes left to play in the tournament final.

"I don't care if I'm number one or 40, you gotta come in. This is tough tournament. Haslett was on a roll, they played very well this year, knocked off some good teams," Archer said.

A bit more confident, the Trojans played mainly defense in the next few minutes.

Incredible goalkeeping by Trojan Scott Campbell kept the Vikings from hitting the back of the net, but not without a scare that could have cost them the lead.

Haslett's Joe Sparkia and Campbell both headed to the ball at the same time, colliding in the middle of the box.

The ball bounced back, reaching Shin Nishimura, who puts it away on what would tie the game if the goal hadn't been annulled.

The referee called a foul against Haslett when Sparkia hit Campbell.

Still up, 1-0, the Trojans started attacking again, which lead to their second goal at the 15-minute mark.

The ball bounced past the Viking defense and Westerlund.

East Lansing's Petrus Marten took advantage of the open spot and kicked it in the same spot as the first goal, into the left corner.

Time winded down with a back-and-forth match once again, but East Lansing held the, 2-0, lead to win the 2016 CAAC Gold Cup tournament.

After being presented with the trophy, the Trojans lifted it high and loudly said a team chant together.

They followed by running into the crowd to continue the celebration.

"Feels good, feels good, real good. The cup is one of the toughest tournaments around. In our experience we found that playing in the cup, we need a rest after we're done, it is a tough three game grind, a lot of good teams in there," Archer said.

East Lansing finished the regular season with a 16-2-2 record.

The Cup might be over but the work doesn't stop, as the MHSAA District finals starts next week.

The Trojans take on St. Johns at home on Monday at 6 p.m. and Haslett hosts Owosso also on October 17, but at 5 p.m.

"Well I hope we can have momentum, we certainly don't want a letdown. We are in the same district as Haslett, but we have St. Johns coming up before that," Archer said. "Districts is full of upsets and we don't wanna be one of those."