BSoc STATE FINALS: #4 Zionsville, #13 Homestead advance through semis

INDIANAPOLIS – Whether it was poetic justice is certainly a matter of perspective, but fourth-ranked Zionsville’s 1-0 semifinal victory over No. 7 Lake Central in the 2009 state finals on Halloween at Kuntz Stadium was sweet revenge in a couple of ways. 

The win not only propelled the Eagles into a second consecutive state championship match, it also avenged a 2-0 loss to Lake Central earlier this year. In that game, Zionsville’s offensive powerhouse Harrison Petts suffered a knee injury and was not a factor. On Saturday morning, however, Petts scored the game’s only goal late in the second half.

In prize-fighting terms, this was a classic confrontation between a boxer and a puncher. Zionsville (19-3-2) patiently kept peppering the chin of the Lake Central (21-2-1) defense with jab after jab. Meanwhile, the Indians responded with fewer, but far more exciting, threats of their own. 

Finally, the Indians didn’t clear perfectly. That’s when Petts, a senior forward, went to work with the knockout punch for the Eagles.

Zionsville outshot the Indians, 22-9, in the game. Only a few of the attempts were serious scoring chances, but they served to keep the pressure on throughout. Conversely, Lake Central’s chances were usually the result of counter attacks that were flashy but seldom dangerous. 

Hoosier Authority spoke with Zionsville coach Bashir Birani after the game, and he confirmed that patience was the key.

In the other semifinal, No. 13 Homestead (18-4-1) used a lightning first-half counter attack to score three goals in the initial period on its way to a 4-1 victory over No. 14 Columbus North. 

The Bull Dogs (18-3-4) struck first on a goal by senior midfielder Jeremy Barnes just two minutes into the game. But Homestead tied the contest at the eight-minute mark, then blew it open in the space of 33 seconds in the 19th minute on back-to-back goals by sophomore forward Thomas Ault and senior midfielder Connor McMahon.

Zionsville, the defending state runner-up to Evansville Memorial, will face Columbus North, a state finalist in 1999 and 2008, in Saturday night’s final. One of them will become a first-time state champion.