One combined goal sinks Concord, Bethany Christian boys soccer in semistates

SOUTH BEND — Only one goal was scored between the two IHSAA boys soccer semistate games featuring South Bend area teams Saturday, but it was enough to end both of their seasons.

Concord lost to Lafayette Harrison, 1-0, in a Class 3A semistate final at Saint Joseph High School, while Bethany Christian dropped a 0-0 (4-2 PKs) result to Covenant Christian in a Class 1A semistate contest in Kokomo. The Minutemen’s season ends with a 16-3-2 mark, while the Bruins finish 14-4-4.

IHSAA girls soccer semistate: 'Win the game' mentality lifts Marian; Penn bows out to Noblesville

Remarkable shot lifts Harrison over Concord

In a game where both defenses were stout, it was going to take a perfect shot for either team to win.

Sure enough, Harrison forward Mihali Papadogiannis did that.

The Raiders senior struck a left-footed shot into the top-right corner of the goal. It nicked off the post and went in, sending the folks in black and orange into a frenzy with 8:28 remaining in the match.

“You can sit there and second guess everything — the boys were where they were, they fought hard and there’s no blame to give anywhere,” Concord coach Shawn McCuen said. “It was a heck of a shot, and that’s what it is. It was the first time in school history we were in the final four; they have nothing to be ashamed of.”

It ended up being the only goal Concord allowed all postseason, spanning five matches.

“It speaks wonders to (goalkeeper Rafa Sabas) and speaks wonders to our defense collectively,” McCuen said. “That’s a highlight clip on ESPN if that’s an (English Premier League) game. … To get one goal scored on us in five games with the competition we played — hats off to my boys and their work ethic.”

Bethany Christian falls short of state title defense

After winning both its semistate and state championship games in penalty kicks last year, the Bruins were on the opposite side of the result Saturday against Covenant Christian. A scoreless regulation and overtime sessions led to the PKs, and while Sawyer Beachy and Jude Miller converted for the Bruins, the two misses cost them in the end.

By winning a regional championship this year, Bethany Christian will move up to Class 2A next fall due to the IHSAA tournament success factor. A recent rule change means that even though the IHSAA reclassified its schools this year, the success factor tracks any two consecutive years instead of when the reclassifications happen.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: One combined goal sinks Concord, Bethany Christian boys soccer in semistates