When the latest Indiana Soccer Coaches Association’s boys soccer poll was released on Monday, Noblesville had moved up to the No. 1 spot in the Class 3A rankings.
From the beginning of the season, the Millers believed they were deserving of No. 1. They put that confidence to the test Tuesday at Hallmark Orthodontics Soccer Complex and passed with flying colors, taking care of 3A No. 9 Zionsville 3-0 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.
“With the new ranking, I think they went about their business,” said Noblesville coach Ken Dollaske. “I think that the entire time, even when we were ranked No. 2, we still thought we were deserving of No. 1. So, honestly, I don’t think our mindset really changed too much.”
The Millers scored twice in the first half. Brayden Doll got the first one, scoring on a free kick eight minutes into the game. Palmer Ault got the next goal seven minutes later, with Spencer Holland making the assist. In the second half, Noblesville put its third goal into the net during the 48th minute. Drew Barnes found the back of the net, with Ault on the assist.
Goalkeeper Gabe Ingle gave another solid performance, making several saves late in the game. Drew Cochran, Andy Stansfield, Colin Todd and Brady Horn all were strong on the defensive back line.
“They just went about their business, making sure that we were strong defensively, that we had good offensive pushes going forward,” said Dollaske. “Same mentality the entire time.”
The Millers are 4-0 in the conference and 8-0 overall. They will host Cathedral on Thursday.
Hamilton Southeastern’s boys team, which moved up to No. 2 in this week’s Class 3A rankings, held off Westfield 3-2 in an all-county and HCC game Tuesday.
It was a back-and-forth game: The Shamrocks’ David Green scored the first goal on a penalty kick during the 24th minute. Southeastern answered when Isa Sayeed found the back of the net 10 minutes later, then followed that up with another goal in the 37th minute. That made the halftime score 2-1.
Green added a second goal 15 minutes into the second half to tie it at 2-2. The Royals took the lead for good a few minutes later when Sam Kay converted a PK.
Southeastern is 5-0 in conference play and 10-0-1 for the season, and will host Cathedral on Saturday. Westfield is 1-3-1 in the HCC and 3-3-1 overall, and hosts 2A No. 13 Brebeuf Jesuit on Thursday.
The Guerin Catholic boys team, ranked No. 5 in 2A, used a second-half flurry to beat Cathedral 4-0 on Tuesday.
Peter Hall scored the first goal of the game eight minutes into the second half. Keegan Perhacs found the back of the net three minutes later. Lukas Pinon added the third goal in the 64th minute, and Jack Demmings completed the scoring with under three minutes left.
The Golden Eagles are 5-1-1 and host Covenant Christian on Thursday in a Circle City Conference game.
Guerin Catholic’s girls team, ranked No. 8 in 3A, swept past 1A No. 9 Heritage Christian 7-0 on Tuesday.
Hailey Abel, Quincy McMahon, Alyssa Ferry and Calli McGee all scored goals for the Golden Eagles. Olivia Labus and Bailey Cappella teamed up with the Guerin Catholic defense for the shutout.
The Golden Eagles are 5-1-1 and host 3A No. 6 Evansville Memorial on Saturday.
Sheridan’s girls dropped two games early this week.
The Blackhawks fell to 1A No. 16 Faith Christian 7-0 on Monday. Faith scored an early goal, but Sheridan coach Brian Prange said that once “the girls settled down in the first half, they started to find passing lanes and shots on goal.”
On Tuesday, the ‘Hawks lost to North Montgomery 7-2. Emma Alexander scored in the first half, while Kadance Voege got a second-half goal.
Carmel’s girls team, ranked No. 2 in 3A, stayed in the driver’s seat for a Metropolitan Conference championship by beating 3A No. 16 North Central 1-0 Monday at Murray Stadium.
Susie Soderstrom scored the Greyhounds’ goal in the first half off a pass from Ava Cabellon. Erin Baker earned her 10th shutout.
Carmel is now 5-0 in the MIC and 11-0 overall. The ‘Hounds continue MIC play tonight at Warren Central.
In the junior varsity game, Carmel won 8-0. The Greyhounds freshman team played Noblesville on Monday and won 3-1.
The Carmel boys team, ranked No. 6 in 3A, also picked up a 1-0 MIC win over 3A No. 5 North Central on Tuesday.
Medard Mikobi scored for the Greyhounds, with Steven Overbeck providing the assist. Henry Giesel recorded the shutout, his sixth clean sheet of the season.
Carmel improved to 4-0 in conference play and 7-1-1 overall. The Greyhounds play another MIC game Thursday at Warren Central.
The Fishers boys team, ranked No. 13 in 3A, beat Brownsburg 2-1 on Tuesday in an HCC contest.
The Tigers improved to 2-4 in the league and are 7-4-1 overall. Fishers will play at North Central on Thursday.
In the junior varsity game, the Tigers beat the Bulldogs 7-0. Evan Myers and Andrew Marslender both scored three goals for the Fishers JV team, which is unbeaten for the season.