CARMEL – The Carmel Greyhounds are enjoying defensive this postseason, they usually’re doing it proudly.
The defending Class 3A state champion Carmel Greyhounds (11-4-5) entered the state event voted outdoors the highest 20 rankings, and very similar to the title on the entrance of their jerseys, they’re carrying the insult near the chest.
With 10 shutout wins to their credit score previous to the regional title recreation at Brian Murray Memorial Stadium, the Greyhounds added an 11th on Saturday with a 1-0 rematch victory in opposition to No. 18 Brownsburg.
Very similar to they’ve carried out this season, all they wanted was one objective.
“They are saying protection wins championships, offense wins video games,” Carmel coach Shane Schmidt mentioned. “We like protection.”
In the course of the common season Carmel allowed simply eight objectives in 14 video games. Within the state event, the quantity shrunk to 1 in 5 contests, whereas their objectives scored rose from 17 to 31 general (14 objectives in 5 video games).
As soon as once more, all they wanted was one objective – and a few naysayers.
“Final 12 months, at first of the season, we weren’t ranked within the prime 20, and this 12 months, on the finish of the season, we weren’t ranked within the prime 20,” Schmidt mentioned. “There’s a bit of chip that the boys are carrying proper now. Their physique of labor didn’t not less than get acknowledged.”
In a regional title recreation rematch with Brownsburg, the Greyhounds gained didn’t match their 2-0 margin from 2025, however they stored the sheet clear for his or her fifth 1-0 win this season.
Carmel’s lone objective dropped into the web within the 13th minute in unorthodox style, as senior Angelo Doria lined up for a free kick from deep.
Positioned midway between the penalty space and midfield, Doria lofted a excessive shot towards the objective. Physics took care of the remaining.
“Actually, I used to be simply seeking to put a ball right into a harmful spot. I used to be seeking to give my workforce a possibility to attain, and I ended up getting one myself,” Doria mentioned. “We observe these, not scoring them however placing them in and ending them. I suppose, I received simply sufficient peak on it.”
Doria’s shot curved above and past the attain of Brownsburg’s goalkeeper, placing the Greyhounds up 1-0.
“I want I might say I drew it up, nevertheless it was only a ball that received served in. We speak about good providers, and that was service in. While you get service, bizarre issues can occur,” Schmidt mentioned.
Even weirder had been the statistics.
Within the first half, Brownsburg out shot Carmel 12-3 with 5 pictures on objective in comparison with two, however Greyhound senior goalkeeper Robert Morgan was a wall.
“That’s soccer. You possibly can look statistically like the higher workforce, however one objective makes or breaks you,” Brownsburg coach Sean McGrath mentioned. “We’re unlucky that we didn’t get a objective, however kudos to Carmel for locating a approach, even when it was, you understand, possibly not deliberate, however they discovered a approach.”
Morgan tallied 5 saves within the first half and one within the second, netting his 35th profession shutout and 13th this season.
“All of it doesn’t matter till we get that ring. That’s the one factor I’m targeted on,” Morgan mentioned. “For me, it’s all the time 0-0, though we’re up 1-0, in the event that they get one, it’s as a result of I made a mistake or one thing like that. I can’t be targeted on our victories. I’m not the one which scored. I must preserve the ball out of the web. That’s my job.”
Morgan excelled at his craft, keeping off repeated assaults by the Bulldogs (10-5-5), together with a point-blank shot by senior Chrisley Beauvais with 1:13 remaining within the recreation, as Brownsburg utilized relentless strain.
The Bulldogs logged 15 assaults within the first half and 10 extra within the second. Carmel had eight within the first half and 11 within the second, refusing to sink again and play stop.
“We don’t prefer to park the bus and play all 11 on our half. We shouldn’t be a workforce that has to simply defend the entire half. We are able to get ahead as nicely,” Morgan mentioned. “We defend nicely, and it will get the shutouts, however these guys up entrance deserve credit score as nicely.”
In Carmel’s 5 postseason wins, it had knocked off No. 17 Noblesville and No. 11 North Central, and now No. 18 Brownsburg.
Throughout their 2-1 sectional semifinal win in opposition to Noblesville, Carmel allowed its first objective since dropping to North Central, 2-1, on Sept. 15. They avenged that loss 3-0.
“After we first received ranked at first of sectional, coach informed us we had been 28th. That’s the place they put us at. All of us laughed as a result of we all know we’re higher than that,” Doria mentioned. “We’re not simply going to say we’re higher than that, we’re going to point out them. I believe, thus far, 5 down, we’ve proven them.”
Their “show it” playoff run clinched this system’s eighth regional title since 1997, second straight and third in six years.
“Coach all the time says it’s about micro wins, they usually all accumulate as much as a win, and I believe this recreation was actually the epiphany of that, particularly within the second half,” Morgan mentioned.
“At halftime that was one factor coach actually emphasised lots. He was like, there are 40 minutes left to play, and in the event that they don’t rating, their season is over, so we knew they had been going to come back at us laborious.”
The Greyhounds are embracing every problem with satisfaction.
“It’s all the time the identical factor. Everybody hates Carmel. Everybody needs to see Carmel fall. They wish to beat Carmel. We’re everybody’s rival,” Morgan mentioned. “It means lots beating all these ranked groups and displaying everybody that we’re not a workforce to be messed with.”
This text initially appeared on Indianapolis Star: t