Boys regional roundup: Marian, Penn each claim boys soccer crowns
MISHAWAKA — Jaxson Hundt was not about to let his last match on his home pitch be the last match of his brilliant senior season.
It didn't matter if No. 1 and previously unbeaten West Lafayette was standing in the way of his Marian soccer squad Saturday.
The high-scoring Hundt and the tremendous battle-tested Knights defense did the trick to turn back the Red Devils 2-1 in a Class 2A regional final inside Abro Stadium at Marian.
The win, which gives the tradition-rich program its seventh regional title and first since the state title season in 2016, sends No. 4 Marian into the semistate next Saturday. The Knights, now 17-1-2 and winners of nine in a row, will face No. 5 Fort Wayne Canterbury (16-1-3) at Chesterton at 2 p.m. ET .
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West Lafayette, which had outscored its previous 21 foes 118-19, finishes at 20-1-1. The Red Devils had won 13 in a row since a 2-2 tie with Bremen on Sept. 3.
The Knights simply outplayed the Red Devils for 80 minutes. The hosts bedeviled West Lafayette with a fast and aggressive approach from the opening whistle.
"This is a dream come true and winning my final game on this field means the most to me," said forward Hundt, who scored his team-best 27th goal with 4:17 to play in the opening half to make it 2-0. "To win the sectional and regional for the first time is the best feeling in the World.
"I love my team, my coaches and my mother (Heather) for pushing me. We knew what we had. We were confident. We know that we can beat anyone in the state.
"Our defense is amazing. It's a trust thing. We know that they have it back there. And our keeper (Noah Balyeat) is the best in the state. He works the hardest of anyone."
The Knights went right at the Red Devils from the get go. Hundt had a fine scoring chance in the opening minute and Marian had three corner kicks in the first five minutes.
Marian broke through with 26:54 left in the first half when senior Harley Pankiewicz headed in a score off an assist from junior Eli Moody. Hundt made it 2-0, assisted by Victor Aguilar.
The Red Devils tallied a score with 8:28 left in the match as senior Evan Cooke drilled home a laser off a free kick chance. It was Cooke's 34th goal of the season. Junior Maurice Reimer, who had two goals in a 3-2 comeback win over Hammond Noll in the regional semifinal match Thursday night, had scored 35 goals for the Devils.
Marian got a great play from junior JJ Oliver to turn away a West Lafayette prime scoring chance with 22:30 to play in the opening half and it just 1-0. Oliver sprinted to clear away a sure goal from an open net to deny the Red Devils.
Longtime Marian coach Ben Householter, who won back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016, knew his team was up for the challenge.
"This team has been battle tested with our schedule," Householter said. "It's tough in the NIC. There are so many good teams. We knew what to expect today. We knew their tendencies and what we could do against them.
"Our guys have just kept working hard all season no matter what. They dig deep and believe in each other. When we play our game, we can beat anyone. It just feels very good. When we won the sectional, I said I got that monkey off my back. It's been a drought. Six years.
"We just wanted to come out with intensity today and take the game to them. We were focused and definitely intense. Jaxson is a rare talent. And our defense has been great all year. JJ is calm and collected back there. He did a great job clearing that ball."
Marian has outscored its 20 foes now 84-13. The Knights defense, which includes stellar keeper Noah Balyeat, shut down a team that had scored five or more goals 15 times this season. West Lafayette, which lost 3-1 to Brebeuf in the state title match in 2021, had been limited to just two goals four times this season.
"Like I said, we knew their tendencies and our defense has been excellent all year," Householter said. "And we have played a very tough schedule."
Marian outshot the Red Devils 10-6 in shots on goal. The Knights had a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.
3A at Penn: Kingsmen win thriller in OT
The Northern Indiana Conference will be well represented on semistate Saturday. Penn's Dani Contreras made sure of that in thrilling fashion.
A goal by Contreras with 1:38 to play in the second overtime session lifted the No. 15 Kingsmen past Lake Central, 2-1, in a Class 3A regional final at Penn Saturday.
The Kingsmen, who win their first regional title since 2015, advance to play No. 7 and defending state champion Noblesville (14-3-3) next Saturday in a semistate match at Kokomo at 3:30 p.m..
The Kingsmen, now 13-4-4, showed plenty of grit to win their sixth straight contest. Penn took a 1-0 lead as sophomore Noe' Ferreira headed in a score off a corner kick from Carter Utz in the opening half. Lake Central tied the match 1-1 before intermission.
More:Penn's inspiring playoff run ends in 3A girls soccer regional final loss to Crown Point
Coach Kyle Zaber's team earned a final home match by turning back host Goshen 5-4 in a regional semifinal Thursday night. The Kingsmen have been tough in the postseason with impressive sectional wins over Chesterton (2-1) and Adams (2-1) prior to the regional round.
Lake Central, which lost 3-0 to Penn during the regular season, finishes at 12-8-1.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA boys soccer: Mishawaka Marian, Penn win regional championships
