By Adam Rouse
Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS â??? North Centralâ??s Steve Shively scored the
game-winning goal with 29 seconds left in regulation Oct. 29 to give
the Panthers their fifth IHSAA boys soccer state title with a 2-1 win
over Carmel at Kuntz Stadium.
Shively headed the ball off a pass from junior Marcus Bastianelli,
which barely trickled into the left corner of the goal, to put No. 4
North Central ahead 2-1 with just under 30 seconds remaining.
â??These kids never quit,â? said North Central coach Jerry Little. â??We
have fought all year long â??? fought through injuries, fought through
adversity, and they just donâ??t quit.
â??They put a great cross across, and what a great finish by Shively.â?
In what was a thrilling championship match between two of the
stateâ??s best teams, the Panthers got on the board first in the 22nd
minute.
Sophomore Ray Gaddis, who was around the ball all night, took the
offense upon himself as he fired a rocket from 40 yards out that found
the top left corner of the net to give North Central (18-3-4) a 1-0
lead at the 21:42 mark in the first half.
The Panthers controlled the action for the first 35 minutes of the
game, playing most of the action in their attack zone and possessing
the ball with concise passing.
No. 6 Carmel (18-4-2) was unable to get its offense going for most
of the first half but regrouped and played much better in the final
five minutes.
The Greyhounds were finally able to break through North Centralâ??s
defense when their leading scorer, senior Chris Cutshaw, scored off a
rebound in the goalie box to tie the match at 1-1 in the 54th minute.
The ball actually hit the back of a Panther defender and bounced right
to Cutshaw, who easily fired the ball into the net.
Momentum suddenly shifted in Carmelâ??s favor, and the Greyhounds
nearly took a 2-1 lead with just under 22 minutes left in the game.
Junior Troy Blewittâ??s shot hit the left goal post and bounced across
the goal line but out of harmâ??s way.
After only eight combined shots in the first half, the action
heated up in the second 40 minutes as the two teams fired 17 total
shots.
â??This is a great team,â? said Little. â??They play really as a team and they have a lot of character.â?
North Centralâ??s Bercovitz named C. Eugene Cato Award winner
Senior Robert Bercovitz of North Central was named the 2005
recipient of the C. Eugene Cato Award, which is presented to an
outstanding senior participant in the boys soccer state tournament.
So what do you think? Share your thoughts in our forum.
Processing your request, Please wait....
