DANVILLE — Crawfordsville boys soccer was denied a second straight sectional title on Wednesday as the Athenians season came to an end with a 3-1 loss in the Class 2A Sectional 25 semi-finals against the No. 8 ranked Cascade Cadets. It was re-match of last years thrilling sectional title game, but this time the Cadets got the better of the Athenians. An important note is Cville was without the services of senior Patrick Corado as he continued to battle a season-long hamstring injury.
The high--powered Cadet offense struck first with Colson Mendenhall got the scoring started in the seventh minute of play. The two teams then battled for most of the first half with offensive chances coming few and far between for CHS. Then with time ticking away in the first half, Cville got their chance. Manuel Olvera floated the ball over the top of the Cascade goalie and with 3:11 to go in the first half CHS evened the score at 1-1.
Seeming to half the momentum going into halftime, Cascade gained it right back in the opening minutes of the second half. An Athenian hand ball in the box awarded Cascade a penalty kick and Ethan Edwards converted giving his team a 2-1 lead. Roughly 10 minutes later Edwards struck the ball beautifully towards the back post and positioned it perfectly as it was out of the reach of 6’4 goalie Alec Saidian and that proved to be all Cascade needed as they held the Athenian offense in check the rest of the way.
“Cascade is a very well coached program and they showed why they’re a top 10 team in the state,” Crawfordsville coach Marcus Hale said. “Hats off to them because they did what they needed to do to move on. Having that PK to begin the second half isn’t really what you envision happening but that’s soccer and those things happen.”
The Athenians end their season with an overall record of 11-7. They were once again county champions and Sagamore Conference champions. It’s a season that will be remembered for certain. Hale also notes that no matter what the score might have been in any game this season, his team always competed. It’s something he’s built as a pillar of the program and it shows out on the pitch.
“We showed a lot of grit tonight,” Hale added. “Even the players who were on the bench were very supportive and engaged with what was going on out on the field. A couple of our goals and expectations coming into the year was to not be out-competed and out-classed playing on and off the field. We definitely accomplished that tonight and it’s a great example that this senior class has set for the rest of our team.”
That senior class that Hale mentioned includes six Athenians. Cooper Murray, Evan Tyler, Kevin Puerto, Andrew Griggs, Olvera and Corado all saw their CHS careers come to and end with the season-ending loss. It’s a class that has seen a pair of Sagamore Conference titles as well as winning last year. It’s a group that has left their mark in team-history and continues to raise the standard for the program. Hale notes how it’s a class that will certainly be missed.
“These guys feel a responsibility with one another to continue to raise that bar,” Hale said of his six seniors. “They play soccer with one another almost year-round. I’m particularly proud of guys like Manuel and Patrick for them having big roles in the two conference championships and the sectional title last year. I don’t believe we’ve had a class achieve that much success in my time here. We just wish for nothing but the best for all of them in whatever they decide to do in life.”
