By RICHIE HALL
The girls soccer rivalry between Noblesville and Carmel is easily one of the biggest in Indiana.
When the two teams have played each other over the years, the matches have always been big, whether in the regular season or the post-season. But no match will have ever been as big as the one the Millers and the Greyhounds will play Saturday at Fishers High School.
No. 1-ranked Carmel and No. 2-ranked Noblesville will play for the IHSAA Class 3A state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Greyhounds are the defending state champions and have won the big trophy 10 times since soccer became an IHSAA sport in 1994. They also won five pre-IHSAA state titles.
The Millers will be making their third appearance in the IHSAA state finals, having also qualified for state in 2000 and 2008. In pre-IHSAA play, Noblesville fell to Carmel in the 1990 state championship match, but won the state title in 1991.
The Greyhounds and the Millers have played each other 22 times over the course of their rivalry. Carmel has won eight of those matches, Noblesville has won seven, and the teams have played to ties seven times. That includes their most recent meeting back on Sept. 23, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
“Carmel is a good soccer team, and like us, they’ve played a difficult schedule, so to remain unbeaten, means they’ve played well as a team not just for a game or two, but for the past three months, but so have we, and we understand what it’s going to take for us to achieve our ultimate goal,” said Millers coach Mike Brady.
“I am on the ISCA 3A poll committee and have been trying to convince other voters throughout the season that this is a very, very good Noblesville team,” said Greyhounds coach Frank Dixon. “The strength of the Millers is their defense. Ever since Mike Brady has taken over the leadership at Noblesville, they have played rock solid defense in front of exceptional goalkeepers. The Noblesville players have a collective ‘blue collar’ mentality about doing the job defensively and I believe that mental toughness starts with the coach.”
Both teams will enter the state championship match with no losses and three ties. The Millers are 16-0-3, with the ties coming against Fishers, Homestead and Carmel, all of them being played to the score of 1-1.
Noblesville won the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship with a 6-0-1 record, then followed that up with a win at the Hamilton Southeastern sectional. In order to win both those titles, the Millers had to beat the Royals; they did so 2-1 in the conference championship match and 3-1 in the sectional final. Noblesville beat Anderson 5-0 in the sectional semi-finals.
At the Logansport regional, the Millers got past Fort Wayne Carroll 1-0, then cruised past McCutcheon 5-0. That sent Noblesville to the Kokomo semi-state, where the Millers faced recent nemesis Penn. The Kingsmen pushed Noblesville into overtime with a late goal, but the Millers’ Sydney Anderson scored in the extra period for a 2-1 championship victory.
Junior Jenna Chatterton leads the Millers in goals and assists with 13 each. Junior goalkeeper Sara Kile has 35 saves while only giving up seven goals for a 0.525 goals against average. Kile has six shutouts over the season.
“This team has been enjoying the moment for the entire season, we talk about We are Together, and that bond only continues to grow stronger as the season has progressed,” said Brady. The coach said it’s been the same this week, but when it’s time for the Millers to focus and prepare, they flip a switch and “can see what it is we’re working towards,” said Brady.
Meanwhile, the Greyhounds are 18-0-3. They also tied with Fishers, that match finishing in a scoreless draw. Carmel also played to a 0-0 tie with Fort Thomas Highlands (Ky.) before its regular-season draw with the Millers.
The Greyhounds hosted their own sectional, and won it by defeating Zionsville 3-0 and Guerin Catholic 2-0. That sent Carmel to the New Palestine regional, where it took care of business over Lawrence North 7-0 and Avon 3-0. The ‘Hounds then played in the Evansville North semi-state, and edged Castle 1-0.
Senior Kelsie James is the top goal scorer for Carmel with 19, while senior Morgan Parker has provided 11 assists. Junior goalkeeper Erin Baker has 54 saves and 15 shutouts to her credit, allowing just six goals for a 0.325 goals against average.
“It is always tempting to say this will just be another game but of course that is just coach speak,” said Dixon. “Just being back in the finals is very special. When you add the fact that our opponent is our biggest rival, it makes the game that much more special. However, I think our players, many returning after winning last year’s state title, know what it feels like to play in a big game and will try to play as a team like they have all season. It is always a fine line between being ready and being too emotionally charged. I think our experience from last year should help us play well and stay on the correct side of that line.”
A LITTLE HISTORY
The continued success of both teams has been helped that each team’s head coach has been there a while. Dixon has been coaching the Greyhounds since 1991. Brady joined the Millers’ staff as an assistant coach in 2001, then became the head coach in 2003. He also was part of the Noblesville boys coaching staff, as an assistant from 1994-96, then was the head coach in 1997.
The last time the ‘Hounds and the Millers met in the post-season was back in 2008, when they were still playing in the same sectional. Noblesville beat Carmel in a shootout 4-3 in the semi-finals; that would kick-start the Millers’ run to the state finals.
When the IHSAA began its soccer tournament in 1994, it placed Noblesville and Carmel in the same sectional. That was the scenario for the first two seasons, with the ‘Hounds winning both times.
The teams were separated into their own sectionals from 1996 to 2000. During that period’s first four years, they met in the regional round. Carmel won the first three times before the Millers broke through with a 2-1 victory in 1999.
Both teams made their way to state in 2000, meeting in the state semi-finals. Carmel won 3-0, which started a run of five consecutive state titles. The two teams didn’t meet during the 2001 post-season, but after Noblesville was moved back into that sectional in 2002, the Millers and the ‘Hounds played each other every year in the sectional until Noblesville was moved out for good in 2009.
Carmel beat the Millers three years in a row, 2002 to 2004, before Noblesville scored back-to-back 1-0, sectional semi-final wins in 2005 and 2006. Carmel won the meeting in 2007 for the sectional title, but the Millers won the sectional shootout in 2008.
Defense has been at the core of Noblesville’s success over the years, and the Millers’ defense has led them to the Class 3A state championship game. Noblesville plays Carmel Saturday at Fishers High School for the state title. Pictured are Carly Hudnall (6), Brooke Hines (20) and Kate Bettner (12). (Kent Graham/File photo)
Carmel began its post-season run by winning its own sectional. The Greyhounds are the defending Class 3A state champions. (Richie Hall/File photo)