TURNER — Leavitt Area High School sent the message Wednesday afternoon that when healthy and balanced, the Hornets probably aren’t a team you want to encounter early in the Western Class B boys’ soccer tournament.

Getting there still isn’t a given, but a 6-0 shutout of Maine Central Institute provided a small credit in the Heal Point standings and a huge windfall of confidence.

“It’s very important. It gets us back on track,” said Leavitt senior Elliott Wiegman, the only repeat goal scorer for the Hornets. “We’ve lost a few of the past games. It gets us headed in a better direction.”

Cooper Legee, Josh Chouinard, Brandon Morissette and Christian Fullerton also found the net for Leavitt (3-6-1), which snapped a five-game winless streak and a corresponding scoring funk.

The Hornets had been shut out four times and scored only two goals — both in a tie against Gardiner — since a promising 2-2 start.

Playing with its full lineup for the first time since the start of that skid, Leavitt moved from the tournament bubble (ninth) to a potential playoff qualifying position (seventh) with the victory.

“We can pretty much keep our destiny in our hands,” said Leavitt coach Kris Wright. “Every little win is going to help.”

Although dominant from start to finish, Leavitt needed a little while to rediscover its scoring touch.

Legee’s uncontested blast from short range finally got the Hornets on the board with 2:46 remaining in the half.

Coach and players alike felt the lead should have been larger in light of a 21-2 advantage in shots.

“We kind of slowed down a little bit at the end of the first half,” Chouinard said. “We just needed a little pep talk from the coach.”

Chouinard showed Wright he was paying attention. The senior sweeper tracked down a pinpoint pass from Zach Fullerton and launched it inside the right post from 25 yards less than three minutes into the half.

Moments later, he stepped in and booted the ball away from two MCI attackers to break up a rare scoring opportunity for the Huskies (3-6).

Both Chouinard and midfielder Legee have missed time with ailments, and the Hornets felt the impact at both ends of the field. In addition to his defensive acumen, Legee provides a strong foot for Leavitt corner kicks.

“The way we move the ball around changes drastically when we lose just one guy,” Wright said. “To have two that we didn’t know if we could count on from day to day … We started to figure it out and how to play without them, but you know, 6-0 today, I’d just as soon play with them.”

Zach Fullerton set up Christian Fullerton’s goal with 22:26 to make it 3-0.

If not for a few close encounters with the crossbar, it could have been a bigger margin. And with the help of many different cooks, the Hornets kept stirring the pot.

Morissette cleaned up in front of the cage after MCI goalie Gary Kersbergen charged to stop a Leavitt breakaway, leaving the net untended for the rebound.

Then it was Wiegman’s turn. He struck twice in the final six minutes, first with a 30-foot laser courtesy of Chouinard, then a header by way of Legee’s corner kick.

Those scoring exploits are a far cry from a season ago, when Leavitt won only one game in its return to Class B.

“Last year the majority of our goals came from one or two guys,” Wright said. “When we’re spreading it around like that, who do they guard? Who do teams mark up against? Other guys are starting to step up and learning to get it on the frame rather than just hit the ball.”

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