Cal Kurzawa lifts Cathedral to regional championship over Carmel. 'He's a winner'

CARMEL — Cal Kurzawa grinned as rain droplets pelted his face. “I talked to Coach Joel (Russell) and told him the first couple balls I get, I'm just going," the Cathedral junior said in the aftermath of a 2-1 victory over Carmel in Saturday's Class 3A regional championship.

That first real opportunity didn't arrive until the 16th minute. And when it did, Kurzawa delivered in dazzling fashion.

He picked up the ball just before midfield and took off, a swarm of Greyhounds coming at him in waves like something out of a video game. Kurzawa out-ran the first couple, shimmied around another and then, with at least five jerseys surrounding him, unleashed a low line drive that deflected off goalkeeper Adam Keleher and into the side of the net.

"There was no one on my right, no one on my left, (but) I wasn't going backwards. I was going towards the goal," Kurzawa said. "You get an outcome from that, sir."

Cathedral girls win, too: Irish 'came back with fire' against Carmel and secured a regional championship

When Carmel negated that highlight reel goal with 20 minutes left in regulation, Kurzawa answered with a slightly less dazzling, but no less impactful shot from the top of the box, wherein he took a couple touches to beat the defender inside-right then fired in a long-range shot.

It was a signature performance by the star striker and an impressive win for the now two-time defending regional champion Irish (16-4-2), who will face Columbus North in semistate next Saturday.

"I think he has 27 goals, 20 assists on the season — I think the kid's the best player in the state," Russell said. "He put our offense on his back. He's a winner. The kid's big time."

Cathedral’s gameplan was simple. Defend like (heck) and let Kurzawa make something on the counter attack.

The Irish made their defense-first game plan known early with a free kick in the opening minutes serving as their first and only bit of offense early on. The rest (up until Kurzawa's goal) were controlled by Carmel, which launched a full-out assault on their defensive-minded foes.

Russell was pleased overall with his team’s ability to force Carmel outside and limit its high-danger chances, but considering the number of corner kicks and set pieces the über talented Hounds earned, it felt like only a matter of time before the dam broke.

Then Kurzawa happened and flipped all momentum to Carmel's side.

"That was just a really good individual effort," Carmel coach Shane Schmidt said. "We had five defenders back there and we kind of looked like a pack of hyenas all just nipping at it and nobody stepping in and defending the ball, but it's a lot easier to say that when you're on the sideline and not in the heat of the moment."

Cathedral earned a few more opportunities immediately after halftime – including a couple shots by Kurzawa – but its focus remained on the defensive end, with Wallemeier and the back line holding the Greyhounds at bay until the midway point of the second half, when Hayden Warneke made a play to keep a bouncing ball in the box, then pounded home the equalizer.

"Some of the kids put their heads down. I was out there like, you gotta keep going guys," Kurzawa said. "Obviously I need to put another one in."

The eventual 2-1 final was not for a lack of effort by Carmel, which maintained steady pressure on the Irish goal.

They just couldn’t catch a break against Wallmeier and the Irish defense.

"We knew Carmel would have a lot of possession in our defensive third and we felt our best chances were when we won possession and got on the counter quickly," Russell said. "That was our game plan. Defend and counter, then Cal took over."

Carmel finished the season at 17-2-2 with its playoff journey taking it through the daunting road of Westfield, Zionsville, North Central, Pike and Cathedral.

"I told the guys they should be proud of themselves, be proud of who they are as individuals and who they represent," Schmidt said. "Even though the outcome of today's game wasn't exactly what we wanted, it's something we need to learn from and a life lesson. ... But they need to be super proud of themselves and their body of work."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA soccer: Cathedral boys beat Carmel with Cal Kurzawa brace