Hank's Soccer Headlines: HSE wins powerhouse clash, Pike's Anelson Azard dazzles and more

Introducing Hank's Headlines! The title, based on my Twitter name (which is based on a nickname I've had since grade school) is pending, but this is a space to recap some of the week's biggest IHSAA soccer events, with some takeaways and news nuggets mixed in, too.

From a drought-ending win for Hamilton Southeastern's girls to takeaways from a city-county clash on the boys side, here's what we learned from the past week.

Goals, saves and PKs: Vote for IHSAA soccer players of the week (Aug. 21-26)

HSE snaps its streak vs. Noblesville; rematch likely looms

One of the week's most notable results took place Saturday night with No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern girls knocking off No. 3 Noblesville, 3-2, in front of over 500 fans(!!!) at HSE. Riley Boyd provided the offense with her first hat trick of the season (two assists for Norah Wans, one for Ayla Conn), while goalkeeper Hailey Wade notched two saves and successfully stopped a penalty kick.

It's the Royals' first win over the Millers since Oct. 1, 2014, ending an 0-12-3 streak (past seven matches decided by a goal or less).

It's just the second regular-season for Noblesville since 2018.

The latest entry in the series adds additional juice ahead of a potential postseason matchup — which we'll probably end up seeing in the first or second round of sectionals because of that silly random draw. The Millers have beaten the Royals in sectionals in each of the past seven seasons, with the past three postseason meetings decided by one goal.

Asked before the season what the key is to getting over the hump (regardless of their opponents) and advancing to regionals for the first time since 2012, Wade and Conn agreed it's about the team's mindset.

"In my three seasons, I think we've always seen our sectional as one of the hardest and we pinpoint certain teams as being hard or being easy, and we go off that," Wade said. "It's definitely a mind game, so I want to see more mental toughness this season."

This is an Anelson Azard appreciation headline

I posted the video online, but the smoothness with which Pike forward Anelson Azard buried his tie-breaking penalty kick vs. No. 12 Cathedral on Saturday was truly a sight to behold. He took a gradual approach, got the goalie to go down to his left and casually fired a line drive to the opposite side of the net.

That was the first of two goals in 3-1 victory by Azard, who put the game out of reach with another beauty inside the box with 4:10 remaining. He made it three goals on the day (and eight for the season) in a 6-2 win over Downers Grove (Ill.).

"He's doing a really good job this season," coach Theron Smith said of Azard. "He has an energy and passion for the game of soccer that is unmatched. You can see and hear it, too."

Pike starting to make 'the right moves'

The No. 10 Red Devils could (maybe even should) have led Cathedral by more than a goal at halftime. They controlled possession through most of the half, making it difficult for the Irish to move through the middle of the field and doing an excellent job sustaining pressure in the offensive end.

Save for a few chances the other way, they looked sharp through the first 40 minutes and sustained that momentum through a more back-and-forth second half.

"We started to put things together," coach Smith said. "Each game we've played we've done something to put ourselves under, and today we started making the right moves to get it going forward and stopped making the same mistakes we've been making all season."

Communication, however, remains a work-in-progress as players get settled into their new roles and playing alongside new faces. To that end, Smith said he's been asking his captains to step up, and hopes they'll begin embracing their responsibilities as vocal leaders as the season goes along.

As for what he's been doing to help facilitate that communication during practice, Smith said every time there's a pass, they have to call out their teammate's name and there has to be someone congratulating that person or telling them something nice. "It doesn't always have to be constructive or about what happened in the game," he continued.

Every time they don't: "They do push-ups," Smith laughed.

One more Pike note: Senior goalkeeper Yamil Sanchez had a bit of a rocky start, but he settled in as the game progressed and made some big saves in both halves.

"The backline was here last year, so it's just putting in a new keeper and getting used to working with the guys," Smith said. "I think as he gets more comfortable with the guys, he'll be a lot more vocal."

Talent is there for Cathedral boys, but there's room (and need) for growth

From the Cathedral perspective, that loss to Pike was equal parts the Red Devils just being a really good team and the Fighting Irish finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot.

Yes, Pike controlled possession for long stretches of the game and relentlessly applied pressure in the offensive end, but there were little mistakes by Cathedral that aided in their demise, like letting a ball roll out of bounds for a corner kick (resulted in Pike's first goal) and a turnover at midfield followed by a penalty inside the box.

"We're good, but we're not that good," coach Joel Russell said of his team's miscues. "Credit to Pike. … They're going to be around at the end of the season."

The Irish are giving up too much defensively, Russell continued, and to his point, they struggled clearing the ball against Pike, then dropped a 2-1 decision vs. North Central a few hours later.

Speaking in numbers: Cathedral (2-3) has a 13-8 goal differential, which includes an 8-0 victory over Greenfield-Central, and has allowed multiple goals in three of its first five games.

That said, it has a talented attack headlined by Cal Kurzawa and Fynn Lahrsen, both of whom were generating scoring opportunities against Pike, with Lahrsen accounting for Cathedral's lone goal.

"If we can tighten up our lines and tighten up our mistakes, I think we'll be tough to beat," Russell said. "But until we do that, we better hope we score four and that's not how I like to coach. I'm very comfortable with a 1-0 win. I mean, I'll take a 4-3 win, but a 3-1 loss is tough."

The Irish are entering a daunting stretch of their schedule with home games against Class 2A No. 9 Guerin Catholic (Tuesday) and No. 4 Columbus North (Thursday), followed by 2A No. 1 Brebeuf Jesuit, No. 9 Center Grove and Homestead next week.

Notable results

>> The No. 6 Hamilton Southeastern boys and No. 8 Brownsburg played to a wild 4-4 draw Tuesday. HSE's Gabe Russell scored in the opening minute, then Brownsburg scored three straight goals (Weston Bradley and two by Grant Porath), then the Royals scored three straight goals to reclaim the lead (Jack Anderson, Dillon O'Rourke and Cade Joniec), AND THEN Porath finished off the hat trick with the equalizer with seven minutes remaining.

>> Brownsburg also played Southport to a 4-4 draw.

>> The No. 3 Zionsville boys scored twice in the second half to beat No. 5 Fishers. They travel to Westfield on Tuesday. Meanwhile, this is Fishers' next three games: No. 2 Noblesville (Tuesday), No. 1 Carmel (Thursday) and HSE (Sept. 5).

>> The Lapel girls improved to 7-0 with decisive wins over Twin Lakes and Frankfort on Saturday. They opened the season with a win over Class A No. 14 Tipton, and boast a score differential of 40-6 (includes a 15-0 win over Elwood). Freshman Leila Wilson scored four goals in an 8-1 win over Twin Lakes.

>> The 2A No. 3 Bishop Chatard girls beat No. 2 Brebeuf, 2-2 (7-6 PK), in their conference opener. Those two could meet again in sectionals.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school soccer: HSE girls snap streak vs. Noblesville