NORTH SMITHFIELD — The Tiverton High School boys’ soccer team will get a chance to repeat as Division Three state champions thanks to a 1-0 verdict over Exeter-West Greenwich Tuesday night in a semifinal playoff match.

Jordan Moniz scored the game’s lone goal early in the second half and the Tigers’ defense and back-up keeper Matt Ramos kept the Scarlet Knights at bay in earning a return trip to the title match. The Tigers will take on Prout, a 1-0 winner over West Warwick, this Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m., at Rhode Island College.

“Prout and West Warwick are both very, very good teams,” said Tiverton coach Tom Murray. “We’re going to have to step up our game a notch.”

Moniz stepped up his game after heeding his coach’s halftime advice. He accepted a pass from Erik Barboza about 25 yards from the goal, outmaneuvered a defenseman near the top of the box, took two dribbles and rocketed a high shot which keeper Michael Fortin couldn’t handle.

“It went through the keeper’s hands,” Moniz said. “He cut it off but he just couldn’t grab it.”

It was the fifteenth goal of the season for Moniz who was frustrated by Fortin four other times on the night.

“I told him before the game, ‘Don’t settle for the 30- or 40-yarder,’” Murray said. ‘“If you get a one-on-one chance, take him on and finish.’”

“I think he misunderstood me. Everything he was trying to do was one-on-one and he was trying to go to goal. They were stripping him at the last second. At halftime I said, ‘Jordan, beat a player then rip it.’ “That’s what he did. The kid’s got a helluva shot. It was a great finish.”

The goal came 2:30 into the second half and the Tigers played defensively thereafter, leaving just one man forward the final 15 minutes of the match. The Knights had their chances as they pressed the attack but Ramos, in for Mike Perella who suffered a right leg injury in gym class Monday, was able to ward off the shots aimed at goal and finished with seven saves.

“He’s a very good keeper,” Murray said. “I’m glad I got him into three or four games earlier in the season so it’s not really his first game. He got into the (playoff) game against Davies and he got his jitters out. That’s how I look at it.”

Ramos was aided by the defensive wall in front of him, a group of players led by Steven Mauricio which constantly stopped the Knights from getting clean looks at Ramos.

“Steve’s the key. We lost Michael which is a big loss,” said Murray. “But if you lose Mauricio, he’s the glue that keeps the puzzle together. I’ve got a lot of great players but if you lose Steve, he kind of holds everything together for us.”

Moniz was not the only frustrated Tiverton player. Geoff Sampaio’s direct kick squarely hit the crossbar midway through the opening half. Then in the second half, after the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick when Ryan Soares was yanked down in the box, Sampaio blasted a shot high over the bar.

But No. 1 seed Tiverton (12-1-3) survived to play one more day. They’ll take on No. 3 seed Prout (11-3-2), a squad the Tigers beat twice by a 2-1 score during the regular season. Tiverton will have to make a few minor adjustments before going against the Crusaders.

“We didn’t play our best (against Exeter),” Murray said. “We did some little things wrong. Little things that we need to correct before the finals.”