One year later, Mishawaka Marian boys soccer gets its chance at redemption

MISHAWAKA — When Mishawaka Marian won the sectional championship three weeks ago, there was hardly a celebration.

The regional title victory a week later garnered a little more reaction, but not much.

The semistate win this past weekend? Some smiles and hugs, but not to the level one would expect out of a team that just punched its ticket to the state championship game.

There was no rushing of the field by the bench players. No dogpiles. No mobbing of each other.

That’s because there’s one trophy this group didn’t win last year that’s motivating them. It’s the reason why the celebrations have been subdued this time around.

They want the state championship.

For nearly a year, Marian’s goal has been to bring home the biggest trophy the IHSAA hands out in each sport. It gets that chance Saturday when it plays Evansville Memorial in the Class 2A title tilt at Carroll Stadium, located on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

More: A look at the 2023 IHSAA state soccer championship games

“I think it’s just we’ve been there before, so we know what to expect,” said Marian senior goalkeeper Noah Balyeat of the tempered celebrations. “Of course, it’s great to win in the postseason, but we know what’s coming. With the loss last year in state, we know what to expect, and we don’t want to feel that again.”

It’s not just losing the state championship game last year that’s motivating this group, but how it happened.

Marian took a 1-0 lead on Brebeuf Jesuit with 31 minutes remaining in the 2022 title contest, only for the Braves to tie it in regulation and win it in overtime.

It was a game the Knights felt like they should have won — but didn’t.

“Once that final whistle blew last year, it was awful,” Balyeat said. “That feeling, it doesn’t leave you, even after 365 days. It does not leave you. It stays there, and it pushes you to prove yourself even more.”

The result on Oct. 29, 2022, has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds within the Marian program since it happened. Coach Ben Householter reminded the team of that game at practice Monday, wearing the 2022 state runner-up hoodie the school made to celebrate a successful season.

“I’d like to get the state title this time and not the runner-up,” Householter said.

The No. 1-ranked Knights (19-2) have turned the bitter 2022 end into an impressive 2023 postseason so far. They have not trailed in the playoffs, with the only tie coming a 1-1 against West Lafayette midway through the first half of the regional championship game. A Reid Gillis goal 15 minutes later broke that tie, leading to a 2-1 Knights victory.

It’s only two losses came against Class 3A teams, Warsaw and Northridge. They’ve won 11 in a row since the loss to the Raiders Sept. 9, shutting out five opponents in that span.

“Discipline and going out to practice every day, working hard,” said Marian senior defender JJ Oliver on the key to the team’s success this year. “We’re just trying to do our best every day.”

It’s no easy test that awaits Marian Saturday afternoon. No. 3 Evansville Memorial is 10-0-1 in its last 11 games after a 3-7 start to the year. The Tigers are led by Bill Vieth, who’s coached the program longer than it’s been an IHSAA sanctioned sport. This year is the 30th IHSAA state finals, while Vieth has been at Memorial for 38 years. He’s 642-133-59 in that time, including 6-0 in state championship games.

How they got here: Memorial defeats Brebeuf Jesuit in semi-state thriller

Householter is no slouch in his own right of course, posting a record of 339-110-31 in 26 seasons leading the Knights. He guided Marian to back-to-back Class 1A titles in 2015 and 2016, along with a state semi-inal appearance in the one-class system in 2008 and last year’s runner-up showing.

Memorial is led by a pair of 12-goal scorers in sophomores Ivan Bennett and Cohen Havill. Another sophomore, Tristan Tas, leads with seven assists. It’s a fairly young Tigers team with four seniors, only two of which start. Marian has 12 players getting ready to play their final high school game Saturday, including eight starters.

“They’re a very good team,” said Oliver of Memorial. “They played a lot of very hard teams. We’ve watched some film on them, and they look like a really solid team. We have to focus-in on them if we want to win state.”

While Oliver and Balyeat anchor the Knights defense, the likes of seniors Eli Moody (19 goals, 14 assists) and Reid Gillis (11 goals, 12 assists) and freshman Luis Santos-Navarro (11 goals, two assists) power the offense.

Since the creation of the Class 2A title game in 2011, it’s been the most competitive between the three Classes. Seven of the 12 games have been decided by one goal, with the biggest margin being 4-0 in 2015.

It’ll be two titans of Indiana soccer duking it out for a state title Saturday afternoon. For Marian, it’ll look to finish a story that started 364 days prior. “The emotions are high,” Balyeat said. “Everyone’s happy to be here. We’re the last two teams in 2A still practicing, so it’s a great feeling. But we know it’s not easy. We know we have work to be done. We know it’s not over until that final whistle on Saturday.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: One year later, Mishawaka Marian boys soccer gets its chance at redemption