So far, things have gotten off to a good start for the No. 1-ranked boys soccer team in Class 2A.
That would be Guerin Catholic, which played its first home game of the season Tuesday against Circle City Conference opponent and 1A No. 3 Heritage Christian. The Golden Eagles beat Heritage 3-0, putting their record at 2-0.
Guerin Catholic is using this month to get things figured out. Coach Chris McGrath said that “August is a month of experimentation, and then we fine-tune that as we move through September to get ready for the tournament.” The Golden Eagles have won back-to-back regional championships.
Senior Tommy Hartman got Guerin Catholic on the board in the game’s 25th minute, and that sent GC into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Aiden Soucie, another senior, scored the Golden Eagles’ next two goals, connecting in the 65th and 76th minute.
“It’s nice to see them starting to hit on goal with some frequency,” said McGrath.
Alex Gardner earned the clean sheet for Guerin Catholic, making several big saves throughout the game.
“He’s a good, athletic kid who’s a shot-stopper, which is something you need to be successful in high school soccer,” said McGrath. “But above that, he’s also a very smart goalkeeper. We feel like with Alex, we’ve got the complete package of being able to be calm on the ball, make good decisions and run that back line the way we need to do.”
The Golden Eagles will travel to Fishers on Thursday for another big game, against the 3A No. 4 Tigers. Guerin Catholic returns home on Saturday to host CCC rival Brebeuf Jesuit in a girls-boys doubleheader.
Fishers played a conference game of its own on Tuesday, beating 3A No. 10 Zionsville 1-0 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference contest.
Charlie Stump scored the Tigers’ goal in the second half off an assist by Noah Reinhart. Tyler March earned the shutout for Fishers, which is 2-0 in HCC play and 3-0 overall.
Noblesville, the No. 1-ranked team in 3A, was a winner in its HCC debut, beating Avon 4-0 Tuesday at Hallmark Orthodontics Soccer Complex.
The Millers were aggressive from the outset, making 22 shots on goal. The first goal was scored in the 12th minute; Jake Johns got his first-ever varsity goal off an assist by Palmer Ault.
Noblesville added three more goals in the second half. Noah Bernot scored his first-ever goal; Kyle Goad passed to Ault, who moved the ball across the penalty area to Bernot for the kick into the net.
The Millers finished with a flourish, scoring two more goals in the 74th and 75th minute. Brayden Doll initiated the third goal by passing to Goad, who passed to Ault for the kick in. The fourth goal was similar, as Johns sent the ball to Goad, who moved the ball to Ault. His first shot didn’t go, but Ault booted the rebound into the far post.
“Tonight was a great team performance,” said Goad. “Coach Dollaske and the rest of the coaching staff had a great plan for us to put into place.”
Noblesville is 4-0 and plays Thursday at Brebeuf Jesuit.
Hamilton Southeastern, the No. 3 team in 3A, also won its HCC opener Tuesday, taking care of Brownsburg 2-0.
The Royals scored one goal in each half. Blake Braden got the first score, assisted by Evan Dawdy. In the second half, Dawdy found the back of the net; Charlie Woodring made a big punt that Dawdy was able to run on and send over the goalkeeper’s head.
Southeastern is 3-0-1 for the season and plays Thursday at Pendleton Heights.
Carmel, ranked No. 9 in 3A, opened Metropolitan Conference play Tuesday by cruising past Ben Davis 5-0.
The Greyhounds took care of business early, scoring four of their goals in the first half, including two in the first four minutes.
“It was a good way to kick off the MIC schedule,” said Carmel coach Shane Schmidt. “I am proud of the effort all of the guys gave.”
Will Latham put in two goals for the Greyhounds, with Will Morgan getting one goal and two assists. Connor Dora had one goal and one assist, Andrew Caito added one goal, and Baenan Mckeown and Drew Valdez each made one assist. Goalkeeper Charlie Featherson earned the shutout.
Carmel is 2-2 and plays another MIC game on Thursday, at 3A No. 15 Center Grove.
Westfield joined the list of HCC winners on Tuesday, beating Franklin Central 2-1 in an away game.
Caden Harrison scored the Shamrocks’ first goal with a penalty kick in the first half. Declan Wheeler added the game winner in the second half.
Westfield is 1-1 in the conference and 1-1-1 overall. The ‘Rocks host Greenfield-Central Saturday morning.
Hamilton Heights dropped a 2-0 game to Shelbyville on Tuesday.
The Huskies play at New Castle on Thursday.