IHSAA soccer: Memorial, Forest Park advances to state championship
EVANSVILLE – Memorial doesn’t win this game in September.
For the first month of the season, the Tigers looked incomplete. The execution was off despite the obvious talent. There was reason to write this team off a month ago.
Look at Memorial now.
More: What we learned from the first round of IHSAA football sectionals in SW Indiana
The Tigers continued an impressive postseason with a 2-1 victory over reigning state champion Brebeuf to win the Class 2A semistate on Saturday at North High School. They advance to the IHSAA state championship next weekend.
Memorial was 3-7-1 on Sept. 15. Belief is a powerful tool.
“Our group has matured unbelievably,” Memorial coach Bill Vieth said. “I don’t know that we win that game in early September. You have to find a way to win. We did.”
No. 2 Brebeuf had a senior class with accolades and experience. It dominated the second half. It won this matchup on this weekend last year. Memorial didn’t waver.
It started in the final five minutes of the first half. An apparent hand ball in the box was overturned, allowing the Tigers (13-7-1) to relax. Ivan Bennett slipped a through ball past the final defender and Cohen Havill powered past multiple players to score.
Julian Bell answered two minutes later for the Braves. A second goal felt eminent. The Tigers still had faith.
The winning goal was “bread-and-butter Memorial” with less than five minutes left. Havill swung the ball wide to Tristan Tas. A perfect cross found Kortlen Sears. His shot was money.
“Once it’s there you have to put it in the back of the net,” Sears said. “Coach believed in us. We believed in ourselves as a team. Everybody has played a big role in this (run).”
No. 3 Memorial will play No. 1 Mishawaka Marian. The Tigers have won six titles in the IHSAA-era.
This run is up there among the most impressive, even improbable in program history. The opportunity to quit on the season was there. Memorial didn’t bite. It is now playing for a state championship.
“We’ve just matured,” Vieth said. “Brebeuf is an outstanding team. Their senior class leaves an unbelievable legacy. We found a way. We believed. We would have taken anything to get that second goal.”
Forest Park boys win in penalty kicks
Charlie Hasenour felt responsible on this weekend last season.
A free kick in overtime ended Forest Park’s campaign one step short of Indianapolis. Hasenour was in goal. Flash forward a year and the junior again found himself in a position to win with the season on the line. He stepped up to the occasion.
No. 17 Forest Park advanced to the 1A state championship with a 3-2 penalty kick victory over No. 6 Greenwood Christian Academy. It is the Rangers' first trip to the title game in program history.
“I think my team has a ton of confidence in me,” Hasenour said. “I was mad inside (last year) and didn’t want to upset the team. I came out and made big saves. I love this team.”
Playing to a scoreless tie after 94 minutes, Forest Park turned to its goalkeeper. Hasenour saved two of the first three attempts and watched another bounce off the left post. Ethan Greulich converted the winning attempt.
This was the Rangers’ third game determined by penalty kicks this season. They lost both prior matches – Mount Vernon and Princeton – but Hasenour saved attempts both times. There were no jitters in a rematch of last year’s semistate.
Forest Park (15-7) plays No. 4 Bethany Christian in the state championship.
“I’ve saved two or three every shootout,” Hasenour said. “I don’t think it’s luck anymore. I came in calm and took deep breaths; did what I've always been doing."
Memorial, Mater Dei girls have seasons end
It was the other end of the emotional spectrum for Memorial in the 2A girls semistate.
The No. 8 Tigers played tough against No. 3 Guerin Catholic but lost 1-0 on a late goal. Alex Soucie buried a shot from 20 yards out off the left post. The Golden Eagles (15-4-1) play Leo in the state final.
It was a different game than the 3-0 defeat the Tigers took to the same opponent one month earlier. They even authored a solid first half. Guerin Catholic had more opportunities and converted one of its better looks.
Memorial (16-7) fell short of a third straight state championship game appearance. Despite losing numerous pieces from those title-winning teams, the Tigers were still one goal from a return trip to Indianapolis.
"They played with a lot of heart and intensity," Memorial coach Angie Lensing said. "They played with perseverance. Especially the way our season started, we could have gone down a bad path. The girls rebounded and never quit. It's a tough loss."
In the 1A girls semistate at Columbus East, No. 4 Park Tudor defeated No. 5 Mater Dei 2-1.
The score was tied at halftime after two goals in a three-minute span. Park Tudor scored at the midway point, but Mater Dei answered with an Olivia Niemeier ball off a corner kick. The Panthers (15-4-1) found the eventual winning goal with 27 minutes remaining.
The Wildcats finished 14-7 but advanced back to the semistate despite graduating 11 seniors.
Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA soccer: Evansville Memorial Forest Park semistate
