As the last whistle blows, the girls’ soccer regular season has come to an end. 15 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie. The Royals outscored opponents 79-3 with 3 mercy rule victories. The regular season started with a win and finished with the same authority.
The Royals head into Sectionals, and the rest of the state tournament as heavy favorites, ranked as the number one team in the state all season long. Sectionals are a familiar spot in the season for the Royals, but they look to achieve a much different outcome.
This program has seen their season fall short during Sectionals for thirteen straight years, their last sectional championship coming in 2012. This team feels different, and repetition can only go on for so long.
As these girls look to change the narrative, they honor the importance of staying focused on the right things. Senior captain Blair Satterfield said, “I think complacency only starts to impact us if we get caught up on looking down the road.” Satterfield adds that during games, this team must stick to the basics and play to their strengths, saying, “we play our best soccer when we are playing quick and simple soccer.”
In the first round of Sectionals, the Royals kept it simple, just as they wished, rolling to a 10-1 victory vs Anderson. The team spread the ball, with scoring coming from a host of 9 different players. Junior Rebekah Tekrony got the scoring started for the Royals, followed by Sloane May, Sydney May, Addison McClain, Grace Gerstner, Margaux Henning, Olivia Moore, Kherington Patton, and the last two by Rylie Bridges.
Round one was handled with authority, and the Royals were lined up for a familiar matchup. In the Sectional semifinal, the Royals would face the Noblesville Millers.
Going into this matchup, the Millers were the six-time reigning Sectional Champions and sent the Royals home last season. In last year’s matchups, the teams tied in the regular season, but in the Sectional title, the Millers won with a 1-0 shutout victory.
Looking to avenge their loss last season, the Royals struck first in the regular season, defeating the Millers 9-0. In the Sectional matchup, the girls looked to do more of the same.
As the first sectional game of the night wrapped up with Fishers winning, the lady Royals took the field. Rebekah Tekrony got scoring started for the Royals for the second straight game. Riley Boyd, along with Sloane and Sydney May all scored as well. The Royals dethroned the Millers with another shutout victory, 4-0.
Now, this team would look forward to another rematch, versus cross-town rivals, the Fishers Tigers. During the regular season, the Tigers were able to stay knotted up at zero going into halftime before the Royals took over in the second half, winning 6-1.
Once again, in the Sectional matchup, the Tigers limited the Royals. Going into halftime, the score was tied 0-0 with potential for a different storyline than their last matchup.
“As the tournament comes, were going to face adversity, but because of the support and encouragement our team provides, were going to be able to push through whatever challenges us” Blair Satterfield said going into their first Sectional game.
Going into the second half, the sun set, and the lights flickered on. Under the bright lights, junior Addison McClain took advantage, getting on the board about 10 minutes into the half, making the score Royals 1, Tigers 0.
Throughout the rest of the second half, the Tigers continued to push, giving themselves opportunities and challenging the Royals.
“A word we have talked about a lot is being tenacious” Satterfield said. “Holding firm to a goal and not giving up easily.”
During the remainder of the second half, the Royals understood their goal, and stayed tenacious, countering every jab the tigers threw. And as the clock winded down, junior Bailey Sapp rocketed the ball into the air as the Royals claimed victory.
For the first time since 2012, Hamilton Southeastern stood atop the girls’ soccer IHSAA sectional. However, the girls know this was just part of the goal and there is more ahead. A victory for the Royals is just fuel for any other team.
“We know that we have a target on our back, and we want to shut every team down that thinks they can beat us” Satterfield said. “Even though we are currently ranked at the top, we want to finish the season their and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.”
The Royals can’t help but celebrate the win while also understand ingthat what they desire is still far ahead in the distance.
The girls next matchup is when they travel to McCutcheon for the Regional semifinal at 6 P.M. Thursday, October 16.