The first half of the Hamilton Southeastern-Brownsburg girls soccer game was played at a fast scoring pace.
In the second half, that pace was slow – until the end. With 26.5 seconds left, junior Ashley Wilson found the back of the net off a one-touch pass from Claire Wilkinson, and that gave the Royals a 3-2 lead. A short time later, that became a 3-2 win for the Royals in front of their home crowd.
“I was just trying to put it in the back of the net,” said Wilson.
Both teams scored twice in the first half, but the score would be knotted at 2-2 until Wilson’s game-winner.
“I don’t even know what our shot record was during the game for shots and shots on goal,” said HSE coach Greg Davidson. “But we just kept pounding and pounding and pounding. We thought eventually one would fall in, we unfortunately waited for 26 seconds left in the game.
“But that’s why Ashley Wilson’s on this team,” said Davidson. The coach said Wilson “has a hunger for the goal” and a work ethic like no other.
The Class 3A No. 7 Bulldogs scored the game’s first goal less than a minute in. It took the Royals a while to respond, but they did in a big way, with two goals in an eight-minute span.
With 25:26 remaining in the first half, Ava Keaffaber got 3A No. 2 HSE on the board, with Layla Brown providing the assist. The duo teamed up again at the 17:41 mark, with Brown again sending the assist to Keaffaber, who put it in the goal.
Brownsburg tied the game back up four minutes later, and the game stayed at 2-2 until Wilson’s goal.
“I thought our team did a really good job of answering them and getting those two goals to take the lead there for a while,” said Davidson. The coach was proud of his team after it “weathered the storm in the second half.”
“It was kind of difficult at first, but I feel like our team came together and pulled it out for the rest of the half,” said Keaffaber, who was HSE’s player of the game.
The Royals are 4-0-1 for the season.
Hamilton Heights beat Hoosier Conference opponent Western 4-1 on Wednesday.
The Huskies scored their first goal in the second minute of the game when Elaina Page converted a penalty kick. Less than 10 minutes later, Emily Stirn scored on an 18-yard kick, assisted by Katy Beery.
Heights and the Panthers both scored goals in the last 15 minutes of the half, with Page scoring for the Huskies. Stirn made the assist. Maria Mitchell scored Heights’ fourth goal of the game in the second half, volleying in the ball off a cross by Jenna Peterson.
Heights is now 4-1 for the season.
Sheridan won its first Hoosier Heartland Conference game of the season on Wednesday, beating Tri-Central 2-1 in a home game.
Blackhawks senior Ashton Wilson scored the game’s first goal, but the Trojans scored to tie the game just before halftime. With 14 minutes left in the second half, Sheridan junior Makenna Hammack scored on a free kick from 25 yards out. The Blackhawks defense then held on helping junior goalkeeper Katie Cuevas to get the victory.
Sheridan is 1-1 in conference play and 1-2 overall. The ‘Hawks host Blackford at noon on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Heights beat Sheridan 12-0.
Page and Jayla Logan both scored two goals, with Keri Townsend, Stirn, Beery, Mitchell, Makena Trew, Peterson, Maddie Nickel and Amanda Irwin all scoring one. Emma Hall and Stirn both made two assists, with Logan, Townsend, Beery, Trew and Nickel all had one.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Claire Wilkinson (12) and Ashley Wilson hug after Wilson scored what would be the game-winning goal for the Royals in their game with Brownsburg Wednesday night. Southeastern won 3-2 for a big Hoosier Crossroads Conference victory. (Kirk Green)