By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – As the Carmel-Pike Class 3A boys soccer regional semifinal made its way into a penalty kick shootout, someone on the field noted that anything can happen in high school soccer.
Anything almost did happen Wednesday night. The No. 2-ranked Greyhounds scored early on the No. 4 Red Devils, but a late goal by Pike tied the game. After neither team scored in regulation, it was on to penalty kicks, where Carmel won 4-1 and advanced to its own regional championship game Saturday at Murray Stadium.
The same thing was happening up north to another Hamilton County team. Top-ranked Noblesville got scored on early by No. 19 Warsaw, but the Millers tied the game with under two minutes left. That contest also went to overtime, then penalty kicks, and Noblesville won the shootout 4-2 to move on to Saturday’s regional final at Kokomo.
The Greyhounds scored their goal against Pike in the 23rd minute. Christian Nielsen put an easy kick into the net, and Carmel held a 1-0 lead for most of the game. But in a contest like this, no lead is safe – “not at all,” said Greyhounds coach Shane Schmidt.
“One goal is nice, but when you’re playing that caliber a team, a second one gives you a little bit more cushion, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net,” said Schmidt.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils were ramping up their offense in the second half. Carmel played very strong defensively in that half, getting contributions from, Dawson Droste, Jackson Jones, Grahm Lee and Rohan Louis. Other Greyhounds players stepped up as well.
But Pike kept pushing, and finally broke through when senior Anelson Azard booted in a goal with 7:29 left in regulation. The Red Devils continued playing aggressively during the last few minutes, but Carmel again stood firm. Louis used a header to knock away a possible scoring opportunity, then goalkeeper Adam Keleher made a big save with 3:13 left to deny Pike the go-ahead goal.
“That was an unbelievable save,” said Schmidt.
The game was tied at 1-1 in regulation, and neither team scored during the two overtime periods. That brought up penalty kicks, but the Greyhounds took care of business early. Carmel’s Connor Dora made the first kick, then the Red Devils missed their first shot. Nicolas Basso and Hayden Warneke were good on their kicks, then after another Pike miss, Johnny Gourley stepped up and clinched the game with his kick.
Gourley
“I felt so much pressure,” said Gourley. “But when they missed the second PK, I was like, ‘I’m going to slot it in the middle. Hopefully he dives one way,’ then boom. It just happened.”
“We have a lot of senior leadership. Nicky Basso and Connor Dora both started in the state championship game for us a couple of years ago as sophomores. So, even when we get scored on or we’re in a tight situation, we seem to have this level of calmness,” said Schmidt.
Carmel is now 17-1-2 for the season and hosts Cathedral at 2 p.m. Saturday for the regional title.
Last-minute comeback
Noblesville had to make a comeback last year when it hosted Warsaw in the regional semifinal, and history repeated itself this year at the Tigers’ field.
Warsaw scored first when Callan O’Brien put in a goal during the 11th minute. The Tigers held the lead until the 78th minute, when Ben Hewitt scored the equalizer. Ashton Craig and Cole Thompson teamed up for the assist.
The score was 1-1 at the end of regulation, and neither team scored during overtime, so it was on to penalty kicks. The Millers won the shootout; Sam Holland, Craig, Max Reason and Alex Pursch all made PKs, with goalkeeper Thompson saving Warsaw’s first and fifth attempts.
Noblesville is 15-0-5 and travels to Kokomo on Saturday, where the Millers play Fort Wayne Carroll for the regional title.