Carmel & Noblesville boys play on the road tonight, four girls games take place Thursday
The REPORTER
The IHSAA soccer tournament road has made its way to the regionals, which begin today.
The boys go first this year. Hamilton County has two boys soccer teams playing in Class 3A regional semifinal games today. First, the top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Noblesville Millers head up to Warsaw for a game with the Tigers.
3A No. 19 Warsaw (15-3-1) won the Huntington North sectional last week with victories over Homestead 3-0 in the semifinals and Fort Wayne Northrop 2-1 in the championship game. This will be a re-match of last year’s regional semifinal; Noblesville beat the Tigers 2-1 at Hallmark Orthodontics Soccer Complex by scoring with 61 seconds left in the game.
The Millers, unbeaten at 14-0-5 and Hoosier Crossroads Conference champions, won their own sectional last week, beating Muncie Central 2-0 in the first round, Pendleton Heights 7-0 in the semis and No. 6 Fishers 2-1 in the championship.
Meanwhile, No. 2-ranked Carmel travels a short distance to Pike to take on the No. 4-ranked Red Devils. Pike (20-2) triumphed at the Plainfield sectional last week, beating Decatur Central 3-0 in the first round, Avon 6-2 in the semifinals and No. 16 Brownsburg 3-2 in overtime to win the title.
The Greyhounds (16-1-2) were victorious last week at the Zionsville sectional. Carmel defeated Westfield 5-1 in the first round, No. 5 Zionsville 3-1 in the semifinals and North Central 3-1 to defend its sectional title.
Girls games
The girls soccer teams play their regional semifinals on Thursday, and four local teams are still in the mix.
Class 3A defending state champion and No. 3-ranked Noblesville travels to Fort Wayne Northrop for its regional semifinal. The Bruins are 15-2-1 and Summit Conference champions. Northrop won the Warsaw sectional by upsetting the No. 18 host Tigers 4-3 in the first round and No. 13 Homestead 2-1 in the semifinals, then cruised past Columbia City 7-1 in the championship.
The Millers (13-1-3) won their fifth consecutive sectional last week at Hamilton Southeastern. Noblesville beat Muncie Central 9-0 in the first round, got past the No. 2 Royals 2-1 in the semifinals, then beat Fishers 5-0 in the championship.
Carmel is headed to Brownsburg for the regional semifinal. The No. 15 Bulldogs triumphed at the Pike sectional, beating Ben Davis 9-0 in the first round, Plainfield 1-0 in the semifinals and Mooresville 5-0 in the championship to improve their record to 12-5-2.
The Greyhounds, ranked No. 1 in the state and unbeaten at 16-0-3, won their own sectional last week. Carmel defeated Crispus Attucks 9-0 in the first round, No. 5 Westfield 5-1 in the semifinals and Zionsville 2-0 in the championship.
Annie DeBone celebrates with teammates Gabby Deer, Alex Soucie and Annabel Wright after scoring the winning goal in the sectional championship game at Speedway. (Mike Navarro)
In Class 2A, No. 3 Guerin Catholic takes a trip to No. 19 Tri-West for the regional semis. The Bruins are 11-6-2 and undefeated Sagamore Conference champions, and won their own sectional by beating North Montgomery 7-0 in the first round, Western Boone 3-0 in the semis, and got past No. 20 Danville in an ultra-tight final. The game was scoreless after regulation and overtime, so it went to penalty kicks, where Tri-West won 4-2.
The Golden Eagles are 12-4-1 and undefeated Circle City Conference champions. Guerin Catholic won the Speedway sectional in an incredibly tough tournament, first beating No. 1 Brebeuf Jesuit in penalty kicks in the semifinals. The score was tied 2-2 after regulation and overtime (Alex Soucie and Maureen Johns) both scored goals), but GC prevailed 4-2 in the shootout.
That landed the Golden Eagles in the final, where their reward was No. 2 Bishop Chatard. That game was tied 1-1 after regulation, but Annie Debone’s overtime goal sent Guerin Catholic to a 2-1 victory. Soucie scored the first goal.
In Class 1A, Sheridan is the lone county team to host a regional semifinal. The Blackhawks take on Faith Christian at 6 p.m.
The Eagles are 14-2 and ranked No. 13. They won the Benton Central sectional by defeating Covington 2-0 in the semifinals and Lafayette Central Catholic 1-0 in the championship.
The Blackhawks, 12-5-1 and Hoosier Heartland Conference champions, claimed their first-ever sectional title last week. Host Sheridan beat Taylor 6-0 in the first round, Tipton 1-0 in the semifinal and Eastern 3-0 in the championship.