Noblesville soccer fans probably wished they could be two places at the same time on Saturday evening.
Why? Because at the same time, the Millers’ boys and girls teams were winning regional championships.
The No. 2-ranked Noblesville girls won their third Class 3A regional title in four years at Logansport, beating No. 15 Fort Wayne Carroll 1-0 in the semi-finals, then cruising past McCutcheon 5-0 in the championship game. This marked the seventh regional trophy for the Miller girls since soccer became an IHSAA sport in 1994.
Just down the road in Kokomo, Noblesville’s boys team won the 3A regional championship there. The No. 8 Miller boys beat Harrison 1-0 in the semi-finals, then upset No. 2 Fort Wayne Carroll 2-1 in the title game. This was Noblesville’s first boys soccer regional championship since 2011, and its eighth overall.
Both teams advanced to next Saturday’s 3A north semi-state round. The Miller boys will take on Lake Central, while the Miller girls will play No. 7 Penn. Semi-state locations and times will be announced today by the IHSAA.
FIRST VARSITY GOAL
Grace Traskey picked a great time to score her first-ever varsity goal for the Noblesville girls team. She got the only score of the Millers’ regional semi-final game with Carroll, putting in a header in the 23rd minute off a corner kick by Carly Hudnall. The 1-0 lead was enough to get Noblesville on to the championship game.
Five different Millers scored a goal in that final game against McCutcheon. Elana Chatterton went first, finding the back of the net in the fourth minute of the game. Isabella Griffey provided the assist. Hudnall added the second goal in the 16th minute, then Ava Bramblett scored two minutes later, giving Noblesville a 3-0 halftime lead.
Meskerem James scored the Millers’ fourth goal during the 47th minute, then Paige Landers completed the scoring in the 71st minute. Landers put in a header off a Kylie Roberts corner kick. The regional victory improved Noblesville’s record to 15-0-3 for the season.
LATE SCORE IS THE DIFFERENCE
The Miller boys had to wait to get their goal in the regional semi-final over Carroll. Finally, in the 74th minute, Noblesville broke through when Palmer Ault scored, off an assist by Spencer Holland. The Millers then held on in the final five minutes to advance to the final.
In the final, Noblesville took on a Carroll team that came into the regional title game with an 18-2-1 record. But the Millers struck first, and quickly: Harrison Christman got Noblesville on the board eight minutes into the first half.
The Chargers tied it up later in the half on a penalty kick, and the score remained 1-1 at halftime. But Christman came through again in the second half, putting a second goal in the net with 20 minutes left. The Millers held on, and soon the regional plaque was theirs, along with a 16-2-2 record for the season.
CARMEL GIRLS
DEFEND REGIONAL
Down at New Palestine, the Carmel girls soccer team defended its 3A regional championship with two easy wins.
The No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Greyhounds first beat Metropolitan Conference rival Lawrence North 7-0 in the semi-finals. Naomi Mann got Carmel on the board with a goal in the sixth minute, off a double assist by Kelsie James and Susie Soderstrom.
James then scored several minutes later, with Jessica Greven providing the assist. Emma Antoine put the ‘Hounds up 3-0, with Tamara Smith assisting. That was the last goal of the first half.
Carmel added four more goals in the second half. Lauren Rainbolt scored next, with Mann and Saliyah Brady getting the double assist. Brady then scored her own goal, off a Rainbolt assist. Brady assisted the next two goals, which came within 54 seconds of each other. Mann scored first, then Charlotte Adams got the Greyhounds’ seventh goal. Erin Baker made two saves as the Carmel goalkeeper.
In the championship game, the ‘Hounds beat Avon 3-0. Soderstrom scored the first goal in the 14th minute of the contest, and that would be the only score of the first half. Antoine added the second goal of a James assist in the 56th minute, and James scored unassisted a few minutes later.
Baker made three games in getting the shutout, and has yet to give up a goal during the state tournament.
Carmel is now 17-0-3 and plays No. 5 Castle next Saturday in the 3A south semi-state.
GUERIN CATHOLIC BOYS WIN AT GREENSBURG
After five years, the Guerin Catholic boys soccer team is once again a regional champion.
The No. 5 Golden Eagles triumphed at the Class 2A regional at Greensburg on Saturday. In the semi-finals, Guerin beat No. 9 Danville 4-1, scoring three goals in the first seven minutes of the game.
Daniel Cloran got the first score, just 73 seconds into the first half. Matthew Wright scored the second goal four minutes later, and Bryce Dolenc added the third goal just over a minute after that.
The Golden Eagles added another goal before halftime to lead 4-0. The Warriors scored in the second half, but Guerin Catholic held on for the victory.
In the championship game, the Golden Eagles cruised past No. 17 Speedway 6-0. Dolenc scored two goals for GC in the first half, then Aiden Soucie found the back of the net to make the score 4-0.
The regional wins improved Guerin Catholic to 13-3-3 on the season. The Golden Eagles play No. 2 Evansville Memorial in next Saturday’s 2A south semi-state.
HEIGHTS GIRLS FALL TO BISHOP DWENGER
At the Class 2A girls regional at Northwestern, No. 18-ranked Hamilton Heights fell to No. 9 Bishop Dwenger 2-0 in the semi-finals.
The Huskies finished their season 13-3-4, but not before winning their first sectional championship in five years, and 10th overall last week.
The Noblesville girls (above) and boys (below) soccer teams each won regional championships on Saturday. The Miller girls beat McCutcheon 5-0 in the final at Logansport, while the Noblesville boys defeated Fort Wayne Carroll 2-1 in the final at Kokomo. (Photos provided by Noblesville Athletics)
