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Cubs go back to back to win soccer sectional
Greencastle edges West Vigo 2-0 to win second straight boys’ soccer title
The Greencastle revenge tour hits the road Saturday as sectional champions.
Greencastle scored twice in the second half Monday night to defeat West Vigo 2-0 and win the Class 2A sectional for the second year in a row at Dee Monnett Field.
“I feel excited. I can’t even describe it. Its immense to win it last year and then to win it this year. We’re almost the same group of guys,” junior Jakob Foss said while teammates posed for pictures and accepted congratulations from family and friends.
Greencastle (11-6-1) plays two-time defending state champ Evansville Memorial on Saturday in the second game of the regional at Heritage Hills High School.
“I’m excited to play them because I’ve never played high school opposition that good. It will be a challenge, but we’re going to put up a good fight,” Foss said.
It’s the second year in a row Greencastle has defeated West Vigo in the sectional championship game and, as coach J.D. Sims pointed out after the semifinal win over Northview, it avenged a 5-1 loss to the Vikings during the regular season.
“We had a really tough period (this season) where we lost to some teams where we thought we should have played better. We lost by a big amount and being able to do it for the competition for everything and turn it around and show them we can be that team that wins and not let any goals in the whole sectional is awesome,” Sims said.
First-year Greencastle goalkeeper Kaleb Troxal posted three shutouts in the sectional.
“This is the first year Troxal has played goalie for us. We had a consistent goalie that played for us for four years that graduated, then (Troxal) had to step up and just be that guy,” Sims said.
Troxal made seven saves against the Vikings, including one on a free kick “that was a huge save that could have changed the entire game,” coach Sims pointed out.
It was the first time West Vigo (12-4-1) was shut out.
“That’s the first game we haven’t score a goal. You got to execute on the big stage if you want to win ball games. They were the better team tonight, I will say that. I guess they were the better team throughout the sectional,” West Vigo coach Brady Cole said.
“We’ve been playing solid defense for the past five or six games, so I felt good about tonight. [West Vigo] has a lot of attack, but I have a lot of confidence in my back line,” Sims said.
After a scoreless 40-minute first half, Greencastle got on the scoreboard when Hector Lezama received a pass from Ben Parsons and netted the ball.
“That’s what we play for. That’s what our goal teams comes out here for, for one moment for somebody to hit the goal. It just happened to be me, so I have to give thank to Ben Parsons for playing me the ball and whoever played the ball to Ben Parsons,” Lezama said.
West Vigo continued to attack and had a chance to tie the score on a free kick with 31 minutes to play. Troxal dived to knock the ball away.
With 17 minutes left, Foss scored to give Greencastle the basketball equivalent of a 20-point lead or two-touchdown lead in football.
“Ivan Glotzbach put it on a platter for me. So I give most of the credit to Ivan. All I had to do was put it in the back of the net. After that it was our game,” Foss said.
This was a physical, 80-minute contest and in the final six minutes flared. Officials red-carded Greencastle’s Ben Wilkerson and West Vigo’s Aiden Rubinacci. The ejection could keep Wilkerson from playing in the regional, but coach Sims plans to appeal the red card.
| Greencastle | 0 | 2 | — | 2 |
| West Vigo | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
G — Hector Lezama, 34:14.
G — Jakob Foss, 17:18.
Next game: Greencastle (11-6-1) plays Evansville Memorial on Saturday in the 2A Regional at Heritage Hills High School. West Vigo finished the season 12-4-1.
Correction: In Greencastle’s semifinal victory over Northview, Robin Kim scored on the free kick from midfield. It was incorrectly credited to Ben Parsons.