'It's like it was scripted.' How Eli Moody made history for Mishawaka Marian boys soccer

INDIANAPOLIS — Nothing was going to stop Mishawaka Marian on Saturday.

Not this Knights team. Not this year.

If anything, Eli Moody was going to make sure the ending to the 2022 season did not repeat in 2023.

In his final game in a Knights uniform, Moody made IHSAA state finals history, scoring all four goals in a 4-0 Marian victory over Evansville Memorial to win the Class 2A title, the program's third overall.

It’s the most goals scored by one player in a state finals game ever, male or female.

“I’m just shocked,” Moody said afterward. “I don’t know. It’s just a lucky day. A good day. A great day.”

Moody scored in a variety of ways.

His first goal was the work of a magician, navigating around multiple Tiger defenders and finding a spot in the bottom-left corner of the net nine minutes into the game.

The second came off an surgical feed from classmate Reid Gillis, setting up Moody with a wide-open net.

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A few minutes later, he drew a penalty inside the goal box. The senior calmly drilled the ensuing penalty kick, making it 3-0 with 26:49 to go in the game.

Moody put the cherry on top of his historic performance with the most “normal” of his goals, creating space in front of the net and connecting.

A year after lying facedown on the Carroll Stadium turf on the campus of IUPUI, distraught following a 2-1 loss to Indianapolis Brebeuf Jesuit, Moody strutted around the field Saturday afternoon.

“It’s like it was scripted,” Moody said. “It feels amazing. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we lost. We had to win. I just had to win.”

Moody isn’t committed to a college yet, but wants to play soccer at the next level.

The offers should be rolling in now.

“Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Marian coach Ben Householter said of Moody’s performance. “Eli’s an unbelievable player, to be honest. His work ethic, his pace, his knowledge of the game — he’s been good for us all around. He’s been a starter for us I think three or four years. I don’t have enough accolades for him.

“He’s the most laid-back kid you’ll ever want to meet, too. But when you get on the field, it’s a different story.”

The top-ranked Knights (20-2) had a strong defensive performance as well, pitching a fourth shutout in six postseason contests. Senior goalkeeper Noah Balyeat made a couple key saves, and Marian caught a break when a shot from Tigers senior Kortlen Sears grazed over the crossbar with 4:30 remaining in the first half.

“When he shanked that one over the top, that kind of helped settle things down a little bit for us,” Householter said. “It definitely let us settle in and let us talk about getting to our marks both on offense and defense. … Our defense did a great job today of organizing in back.”

The day belonged to Moody, though, and the 11 other seniors for Marian. They made it their goal to get back to this weekend, get back to the state championship game and change the result they had last year.

They did that, and then some. They walked off the field with blue ribbon medals and a big trophy because of it.

“It’s one of the huge goals that we finally accomplished,” Moody said. “Ever since I came to Marian freshman year, it’s been my main goal. Last year, we came up short. This year, we finally did it.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Eli Moody's 4 goals lead Mishawaka Marian boys soccer to 2A state title