Boys’ Games
Heritage 3 Manchester 1
By DEAN JACKSON
WZBD.com
FORT WAYNE — Twa Rit scored two goals in the early minutes to give Heritage all the offense they needed to top Manchester 3-1 in the IHSAA Class 3A boys soccer sectional Tuesday at Concordia High School.
“We came in, set the tone from the first whistle,” Heritage coach Joel Bunnell said. “Guys were ready. The ball was moving very well. Then we ground it out in the second half. It wasn’t our best soccer, but we didn’t give up a goal. We kept continuing to play solid formations and not give up the bottom line.”
Heritage (6-7-3) advances to the semi-final and now faces Norwell at 7 p.m. at Zollner Stadium.
The Knights (9-8) blanked Woodlan 4-0 in the late game Tuesday.
It’s a rematch of a Sept. 26 contest in Ossian. In that contest, the Knights held on to win 3-2.
Norwell has won five of their last seven matches.
In the other game, Concordia faces Bishop Luers at 5 p.m.
The winners advance to the championship Saturday at 7 p.m.
Heritage had a two-goal lead, and life was good. They were enjoying a comfortable advantage early in the first half.
But in reality, Bunnell was anything but comfortable.
He was preparing for the worst. He was concerned that was the start of a Squire rally.
“Two-goal leads are dangerous because you feel good, and you start to play more lax. Teams will wake you up real quick,” Bunnell said.
In the 28th minute, Manchester got a goal from Wyatt Young to make it 2-1. Young took a pass from Isaiah Acosta Wyatt on the right side. He found an opening, powered past his defenders, and drilled a shot to the back of the left post.
It got the attention of the Patriots, Bunnell explained. “We’ve had that message in several games this year where we’ve had a wake-up call. I’m not necessarily glad it happened. I am just glad we responded in the right way.”
It only rallied the Patriots.
“Sometimes they come in bunches. We just needed to lock down and get back into possession. I was proud of what we did because they never gave up, and I give them a ton of credit for that.”
Just seven minutes later, Sai Po La took a pass from Rit in the 35th minute to take a 3-1 lead.
It and La each fired six shots.
He added, “They just have athleticism. When the balls are at their feet, they are always dangerous. They know how to separate from their defender, and when they shoot, it’s usually hard and accurate.”
La and Nathan Pe also notched assists.
The Patriots took 15 shots. Goalkeeper Elijah Rauner stopped 2 shots for Heritage.
Manchester (7-7-3) got 15 saves from Evan McLaughlin. “He’s an absolute athlete. I think he had seven shutouts this season. He makes a ton of great saves.” Bunnell noted.
Other Local Boys’ Scores
2A at Concordia Lutheran
Norwell 4 Woodlan 0
Kyler Morris scored twice and Hudson Gerbers had two goals for the Knights.
3A at Huntington North
Homestead 3 Marion 2
East Noble 3 FW Wayne 0
3A at FW Northrop
South Side 2 DeKalb 1
Carroll (FW) 1 New Haven 0
2A at Eastbrook
Oak Hill 5 Mississinewa 0
1A at Blackhawk Christian
Blackhawk Christian 8 Central Noble 0
Girls’ Soccer Sectionals
1A at Wabash
Eastbrook 5 Wabash 1
Blackhawk Christian 3 South Adams 0
2A at Norwell
Canterbury 8 Heritage 1
2A at DeKalb
Concordia Lutheran 2 Angola 0
East Noble 2 Lakeland 0
3A at FW North Side
Carroll (FW) 11 North Side 0
3A at Homestead
Columbia City 6 Huntington North 1
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