By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – After a tough defeat on Tuesday, the Fishers boys soccer team got a big bounce-back win on Thursday.
The Class 3A No. 1 Tigers traveled to Guerin Catholic to take on the 2A No. 4 Golden Eagles, and went back to Fishers with a 4-0 victory. The Tigers scored one goal in the first half, with Kyle Clayton getting his team on the board.
“We went to the tape yesterday,” said Fishers coach Phil Schmidt. The coach said the Tigers rested their legs and watched that game tape, “and I thought we learned a lot from it,” he said. Schmidt said it got the team focused and made the Tigers see some things they need to improve.
“I thought we put that out there on the field tonight,” said Schmidt. “Guerin’s a good team. They play hard. They’re well-coached, and so we needed to play well tonight to get the win.”
The score stayed at 1-0 for much of the second half, as the Guerin Catholic defense, anchored by goalkeeper Cameron Gunter, was able to hold off the Fishers attack. But the Tigers broke through with 15:02 left in the game when Will Sandlin scored off a Clayton assist.
That got Fishers rolling, and the Tigers would put in two more goals in quick succession. With around 10 minutes left, Santiago Morales sent a corner kick to Noah Reinhart, who headed the ball into the net for Fishers’ third goal. Seconds later, the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick, and Morales sent it in.
“As the game went on, I thought we created an increasing number of chances,” said Fishers coach Phil Schmidt. “I thought it was just a matter of time before we found the one to make it 2-0. And at that point, we just kept the pressure on.”
“A lot of our players don’t have varsity experience, and we’re learning that as we go,” said Golden Eagles coach Jim Alvarez. “The game’s 80 minutes. I thought for about 60 minutes, it was a pretty darn even game. They capitalized on our mistakes and we didn’t capitalize on theirs.”
Still, Alvarez said this is how his team gets better, playing tough competition. He was also proud of the fact that his team didn’t give up and kept playing hard.
Both teams are back in action Saturday. Fishers plays at McCutcheon, while Guerin Catholic travels to Brebeuf Jesuit for a Circle City Conference game with the 2A No. 1 Braves.