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Knights fall short in sectional championship loss to Greencastle
As a nearby onlooker at Saturday night’s Class 2A Greencastle Boys Soccer Sectional championship noted near the midway point of the second half between Northview and the host Tiger Cubs, ‘Neither one of these teams deserves to lose.’
Northview and Greencastle were knotted up at 1-1 with numerous high-level plays being made on each side, leaving those pacing the sidelines with anxious energy feeling that whichever team scored next would likely be the victor, leaving the opposition with an ache in their heart.
Unfortunately for Northview, Greencastle found the back of the net on a chaotic play with just over nine minutes left. The Tiger Cubs made that tally stand up as they handed the Knights a 2-1 loss, marking the third straight season they fell to Greencastle in the title game.
“I guess you could say somebody had to lose, but gosh, these boys are so special. They fought their butts off and didn’t deserve [to lose],” said Northview head coach JP Arvin. “We had our chances. I told the boys I don’t have any words to make this feel any better. They just keep getting more gut-wrenching.”
In the past two season-ending losses, Northview felt like it was making progress on Greencastle but still had room to grow to get over the hump to capture the program’s first-ever sectional championship.
This year, it was different.
Northview had the pieces and had the strategic game plan to get the job done. The Knights showed grit and perseverance to overcome obstacles put in their way throughout the fall and did so again on Saturday night when the Tiger Cubs scored the game’s first goal at the 22:40 mark of the first half.
It took 26 seconds for Northview to respond, as Tanner Hayes, using his lightning-fast speed, got past the Greencastle defense and found nylon with his right foot, injecting an overwhelming amount of positive energy into those wearing white and maroon.
“We were playing flat footed for the first 15 minutes until right around when they scored. From that point on, it changed,” said Arvin. “We played the first 15 or 17 minutes on our side of the pitch and then the last 15 or 17 minutes of the first half, we played it on their side. And then even in the second half, we were either on their side or had possession.”
Hayes’ equalizing goal kept the game tied up at 1-1 for quite a while thanks in part to John Arvin and Gilbert Clear, two key cogs in Northview’s last line of defense, as well as all-conference goal keeper Bobby Styck, who frequently showed his athleticism and soft hands that led to 17 saves on the night, stonewalled each attack the Tiger Cubs had for them.
“He’s Spider-Man,” said Arvin of Styck.
Greencastle broke the tie with 9:10 left to go in the game after Styck punched the ball out on a corner kick. However, it ping-ponged around inside the crowded box before eventually landing in front of Dylan Barcus, who booted it into the back of the net to put the hosts back in front.
“It was a melee-type of play. It’s one of those where if it’s a hair one way or the other, we get it cleared,” said Arvin. “I don’t want to take anything away from Greencastle in saying this, but that wasn’t a skill play. That wasn’t a tactic. They had luck on their side on the play, but they earned their luck.”
Northview was never able to muster another shot on goal the rest of the way, bringing its season to an end. And while they were understandably upset with the result of the final score, Arvin made sure to emphasize the heart they played with on Saturday. He wanted his group to know how proud he was of them and that they had nothing to be ashamed of as they continue to push towards achieving their No. 1 goal in becoming sectional champions for the first time.
“We have to take our hats off to them because they have a great program and that’s what we’re trying to build. The only difference between us is that they have a belief that they’re going to get it done because they’ve done it before, and our boys haven’t,” said Arvin. “We were every bit as good enough to win.”
With the win, Greencastle advances onto Thursday’s regional where the Tiger Cubs will play host to Cascade.
Greencastle 2, Northview 1
Northview 1 0 – 1
Greencastle 1 1 – 2
Gc – Mythiusfaatea Slagle, 22:40 1H
Nv – Tanner Hayes, 22:14 1H
Gc – Dylan Barcus, 9:10 2H
Next – Northview (8-8) concluded its season. Greencastle (12-5-1) advanced onto Thursday’s regional.