Today, the No. 1 Center Grove boys soccer team will host the No. 2 Noblesville Millers in a clash of the two top teams in the state. Despite the loss last year, the Trojans will look to continue their undefeated season with a fresh perspective and team chemistry.
“We had a great group of guys last year but the team just didn’t really gel together as much as this year,” senior Evan Hewitt said. “Everybody is close, the team chemistry is very high, and we have guys who are willing to make that final pass and play unselfish play.”
Along with the chemistry, the Trojans will look to continue the new style of play this year, incorporating short, quick passes to circumvent the opposing defense.
“Last year, I feel like we played their game, which is playing kickball, which is what they love to do, so we just [have to] keep the ball on the ground, one-touch, two-touch around them,” senior Charlie Habig said.
This year, the Trojans have placed an extra emphasis of communication on members of the team, like Hewitt, to help circulate the ball better around defenses like Noblesville’s.
“As a defender, I can see the whole field minus the goalie, and it’s huge because I have the view of what’s behind someone else,” Hewitt said. “Say our defensive midfielder, if there’s a guy behind him, I can tell him, so it’s a very big goal that I just have to call out and be vocal and tell everybody where to go, what to do, and just be a leader on the field.”
Another key to the game will be the Trojans’ defense, which has allowed just four goals in the first 12 games this season.
“First thing I’m looking for is a shutout,” Hewitt said. “That’s what our coach has always said. He wants first thing, most importantly, 0 goals, because I have no doubt that we will be able to score. I want to make sure that I’m dictating the game and making sure that their attackers can’t get their runs in, because that’s what they like to do.”
Adding to the complexity of the game is the presence of sophomore Noblesville winger Ben Hewitt, who scored a goal the last time the two teams met, and is also the cousin of Center Grove’s Evan Hewitt.
“I’m going to have a lot of family there both supporting me and him,” Hewitt said. “Obviously he scored last year, and it was a good goal, but I can’t let him score. Just the bragging rights, and I love him, but today he’s on the other team, and my family is in Center Grove right now.”
Center Grove has not beaten the Millers the past two years, losing by a combined score of 11-4, but the Trojans will still hope to notch their thirteenth straight victory this season and stay No. 1 in Indiana’s soccer rankings.
“It would mean a lot [to win] because it would keep the undefeated streak going, and then it would shift the target on our back that Nobelsville has on their back, being back-to-back-to-back state champions, so it would be huge,” Habig said.
