Katherine Constantino wins Theresia Wynns Mental Attitude Award
By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Throughout the season, the Guerin Catholic girls soccer team stayed cool and calm, even during the most tense situations.
Because of that, the Golden Eagles finished the season by collecting a long-sought state championship.
Guerin Catholic won its first state title on Friday, beating Leo 1-0 in the Class 2A championship game at Michael Carroll Soccer Stadium at IUPUI. The Golden Eagles scored their goal just before halftime, then let their defense take over to finish the job in the second half.
This was the fourth time Guerin Catholic played in the state finals, and the seniors on this team were freshman when GC last appeared at IUPUI back in 2020. That experience was a big factor.
“No matter how hard we get on them, they’re just going to play their game and just resolve through every single situation, whether we’re down one goal, or in the PKs, or in the state finals,” said Golden Eagles coach Sean Yau. “This senior class made sure everybody in this program was calm the whole entire time.”
One of those seniors is Katherine Constantino. She remembered being a freshman sitting on the bench “watching all the seniors make it to state, and so finally being able to take home a state championship trophy feels great.”
That calmness helped Guerin Catholic stay focused during the first half. The Golden Eagles outshot the Lions 11-2 during the half, including five on goal. Leo’s defense was playing very tough in the backfield and was able to hold Guerin at bay for the first 35 minutes.
All that changed in the 36th minute. Junior Gabby Deer scored the Golden Eagles’ goal with an easy kick-in. Constantino provided the assist.
“There was a lot of relief lifted off my shoulders because I knew that we needed to score,” said Deer. “And whether it was near (Alex) Soucie or anybody else in the field, I just knew that we needed to settle in and just relax. Once we got that goal, our whole team just felt something lift off their shoulders. We were locked in the whole game and it was really good.”
(Mike Navarro)
The Lions began to push a little more in the second half, but Guerin Catholic was able to hold them off. Leo had its only two shots on goal during that latter half, with GC goalkeeper Olivia Eaton saving both of them.
The Golden Eagles continued to press as well; they wound up outshooting the Lions 19-6 for the entire game. One of the more remarkable stats: Guerin Catholic had six corner kicks for the game, but Leo didn’t have any.
“They were playing a different formation than we were used to,” said Soucie. “We realized that we had to shift back a little more than we usually would and not attack as much.”
The Golden Eagles finished the season ranked No. 3 in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association’s Class 2A poll, while the Lions were ranked fifth. Guerin Catholic had to play a ranked team in every single tournament game, starting with No. 1 Brebeuf Jesuit in the sectional semifinals, then No. 2 Bishop Chatard in the sectional championship.
“We said early after the sectional, iron sharpens iron,” said Yau. “And when you play two of the best teams in the state, no matter what class, in Brebeuf and Chatard, that’s going to set you up for success for the rest of the tournament.”
“We just practiced hard and played our hearts out, and we played for each other, not just ourselves,” said Soucie.
After the game, Constantino was named the Theresia Wynns Mental Attitude Award winner for girls 2A soccer. Constantino is the second GC girls soccer player to win the award; Hannah Barker won it in 2010, the first time the Golden Eagles went to state.
“It was crazy,” said Constantino. “I was just in awe. I was so happy. It’s a team effort.”
Guerin Catholic finished its season with a 16-4-1 record.