Lapel celebrates inaugural girls soccer season
Oct. 7—INDIANAPOLIS — Back in June, new Lapel girls soccer coach Chad Soden brought together the school's inaugural team, a group that included plenty of athletes from other sports but only two freshman with extensive club and organized soccer experience.
He remembers the first days being largely devoted to the basics.
"June 1 we came out, and it was just, 'Here's how you trap the ball,and here's how you pass the ball,'" he said. "By the end of the first week, our athleticism is going to help a lot. We probably did the first three weeks, all fundamentals."
Even the Bulldogs' season ending at the hands of the defending Class 1A state champions from Heritage Christian by a 9-0 score in the semifinals of Sectional 43 on the Eagles' home field could do nothing to diminish the pride he had in what his group of basketball, softball and tennis players had accomplished playing the beautiful game.
"They came out from Day 1, June 1," Soden said. "And I didn't know — just we're going to get this started. But they came out with the mindset of, 'We want to be good.' And that was awesome, and they were."
Senior Kerith Renihan played three years of golf for Lapel — including in 2019 when she and the Bulldogs advanced to the state finals — but decided to play soccer this season instead and help lay the foundation of the new program.
It was a decision she does not regret.
"This was the best team, best season that I've ever played with anybody," the basketball team's starting point guard and likely No. 1 singles tennis player said. "We were all so close. It's like we were sisters. Soden did an amazing job taking a bunch of basketball players, softball players, kids who never played any sport, and he was the best coach with it. We went from nothing to playing and having a winning record."
Lapel's inaugural season ends with a winning record at 8-7-2 while the Eagles will face top-ranked Park Tudor on Saturday afternoon in the sectional championship game.
In facing the Eagles on Thursday, Soden knew his upstart Bulldogs would have their hands full against a seasoned team that returned most of its key players from last year's title run. For much of the first half, he eschewed the attacking style of offense and chose to pack his team in close to its own goal in an effort to make it difficult for the Eagles to score.
There were 10 defenders in or near the penalty box, with forward Krystin Davis the only Lapel player in an attacking position.
The results were mixed. Often the Eagles seemed frustrated with the defensive approach as well as some stellar play from Lapel senior keeper Hannah Laughlin. But, eventually, the talented Eagles figured it out.
The first score came quickly when HC leading scorer Abby Foulk put home her 25th goal of the season off a cross from Zaria Winston in the third minute.
It took the Eagles another 15 minutes to score, and when they did, they did so repeatedly from distance.
It was Winston who scored next, blasting one into the net from 35 yards out in the 18th minute before Bella Snyder did likewise from the same distance nearly seven minutes later. Kya Crooke put home a deflected corner kick in the 29th minute, and the Eagles took a 5-0 lead into intermission.
Lapel was only on the attack three times in the first half with Maddy Poynter getting their only shot on goal in the final minute of the first half.
Laughlin posted 10 of her saves in the first half and finished the match with 14 total while under attack most of the match.
"She played her heart out. They all did," Soden said. "We talked about how far we could push them out and get them out of shooting range. ... We kept them out, but they hit a couple from out there and you just tip your cap to them."
Crooke tallied her second goal in the 44th minute for a 6-0 HC lead before Anya Riggle put home a rebound off a Laughlin save for the 7-0 lead in the 50th minute. One minute later, Lilly McIntyre scored for an 8-0 advantage with Devyn Moore finally ending the match by mercy rule with the ninth team goal with just over 14 minutes remaining.
Freshmen Sophie Goodwin and Avery Owen are the only Bulldogs who have played club soccer. Goodwin said she is optimistic with this beginning and under the leadership of Soden, this is a program that could compete for sectional titles in the near future.
"At first, I was hesitant at how good we were going to be and if we were going to win at all," Goodwin said. "Once we started practicing, I knew we were on to something."
"Every single game we played, we were the underdogs," Soden added. "Every single game, we played against an established program for years."
Seniors on this year's team include Renihan, Laughlin, Deannaya Haseman, Hallie Wilkins, M'Lila Carey, Kendall Hobbs, Kooper Grinstead, Addrianna Gadd, Emma Shupe, Gwyn Fisher, Ellie Scott, Sophie Hufhand and Jordan Tracy.
Davis finished the season with 33 goals to lead the team.
Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.
