Due to earlier games getting rained out, the Carmel and Noblesville boys soccer teams wound up playing their season openers on Thursday – against each other.
The Class 3A No. 7 Greyhounds hosted the 3A No. 12 Millers at Brian Murray Stadium in front of a big crowd, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Carmel scored its goal in the first half, with Drew Finkam finding the back of the net off an assist by Jackson Monsey.
“It was a good game,” said Greyhounds coach Shane Schmidt. “I thought that we had a lot of positives for it being our first game and their first game as well. It’s always a heartbreaker either way. It’s exciting when you score that goal late on, and it’s a heartbreaker when you get scored on late on for a tie. But I thought our guys played well.”
Noblesville got the tying goal with 2:56 left in the second half when Jack Miller mad a long free kick.
“At the end, I think they had some resolve,” said Millers coach Ken Dollaske. “Considering that this was our first game of the season, this was Carmel, everybody was hyped up, everybody was just playing very tight. I think that was pretty evident in the first half that we just did not play the way that the Millers could play. Second half, after we had a chat at halftime, I think they came out with a little bit more composure. It definitely showed the last five, 10 minutes of the game. We were definitely pressing to get that tying goal.”
The junior varsity game also ended in a 1-1 tie.
In another all-county boys game, Fishers beat Westfield 2-1 at the Shamrocks’ field on Thursday.
All of the goals were scored in the second half. Cam O’Connor and Mitchell Rambo scored for the 3A No. 13 Tigers, with Jack Kenny and Angel Roque Granados making the assists.
David Green scored the Shamrocks’ goal, with Collin Maris getting the assist.
Fishers won the junior varsity game 2-0. Mayer and Wayne both scored one goal.
Hamilton Heights’ boys played to a 2-2 tie against Pendleton Heights on Thursday.
The Arabians scored first, getting a goal just under three minutes into the game. But the Huskies answered back, with Donovan Trew putting one in the net with 26 minutes to go in the first half. Heights took the lead with less than five minutes to go before halftime when Mitchell Walbolt scored. Pendleton tied the game with under six minutes to go in the second half with a penalty kick.
Huskies coach Derrick Dean said that Marcus Shaffer is the player of the game “with some great saves all night long but especially two great saves in the last four minutes to keep the game tied. Great job players and way to dig deep after two hard games back to back.”
University’s girls team opened its season Thursday with a game at Greenfield-Central.
The Trailblazers, ranked No. 8 in Class 1A, fell to the strong 3A Cougars team 2-1. The score was tied 1-1 at halftime; Greenfield scored the first goal, but University’s Whitney Freeman tied the game, scoring off a pass from freshman Peyton Seay. The Cougars scored the winning goal with 20 minutes to go, but the ‘Blazers fought until the end.
Noblesville’s Owen Mejia (left) prepares to kick the ball as Carmel’s Babacar Diatta plays defense during the Greyhounds-Millers boys soccer game Thursday at Carmel’s Brian Murray Stadium. The game, which was the season opener for both teams, ended in a 1-1 tie. (Richie Hall)