Whether it's sports, or in life, the ball doesn't always bounce your way. Such was the case for Warsaw's varsity boys soccer team Saturday, as the Class 2A No. 9 Tigers fell 1-0 to the fourth-ranked Crown Point Bulldogs in the semifinal round of the Warsaw Semistate. After nearly 74 minutes of scoreless action, Crown Point netted the game-winner when senior Bay Kurtz put a shot over Warsaw junior keeper Peyton Long's head. Kurtz took a long pass from a teammate, got himself in front of a pair of Tiger defenders, and then bounced the ball over Long's head, ultimately bouncing Warsaw from the state tournament in the process. “We let the ball bounce, and we shouldn't have,” said veteran Warsaw coach Scott Bauer, whose team's season ended with a record of 14-3-5. “No. 8 (Kurtz) is their best player, and he made the play when they needed it. It comes down to the smallest details at this level. We just didn't didn't execute in certain phases today.” The win over the Tigers upped Crown Point's record to 19-0-1. The Bulldogs added another win, as well as a trip to the state finals, Saturday night when they beat Fort Wayne Canterbury 2-1 in the semistate final. Canterbuy, winners of the past two 1A state titles and five overall, beat Marion 5-2 in Saturday's first semifinal game and finished its season with a 14-8-1 record. Crown Point has now won the Warsaw Semistate twice in three years, the other title coming in 2011 when the game went to penalty kicks after 94 scoreless minutes against the Tigers. The Bulldogs went on to win the state championship that year. They have a chance to do the same thing this year. Crown Point will play No. 2 Avon Saturday at IUPUI. Avon survived a loaded semistate Saturday, as it beat top-ranked and defending state champion Columbus North 3-2, followed by a 2-1 win over No. 3 Evansville Memorial in the championship game. The Tigers aren't the only team that struggled to score against Crown Point in the postseason. Heading into their state finals match with Avon, the Bulldogs have outscored their six tournament opponents 22-2. “I thought it would come down to set pieces,” said Bauer. “We had a couple of chances but just didn't have anyone in the right place at the right time to convert.” Warsaw took four shots in the game, two on goal, and had four corner kicks. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, had a lot more chances. Crown Point took 14 shots, six on goal, and had five corner kicks. With the season-ending loss, the program must bid farewell to nine seniors – Stephen Kolbe, Alex Climaco, Miguel Rivera, Matt Williams, Zack Tucker, Chris Hastings, Luis Duenas, Juan Sanchez and Bryce Smith. “I’m proud of the boys,” said Bauer. “We had a mediocre regular season, by our standards, finishing third in the conference. But I’m proud of their postseason run and how they won the sectional and regional. It was a fun group to coach..a group that played with a lot of heart.” Warsaw’s tournament run included a thrilling win over Culver Academies, as the Tigers trailed 3-0 in the sectional semifinal before scoring four goals in the final 21 minutes. Warsaw went on to win its sixth-straight sectional title by beating rival Plymouth 7-0. In the regional semifinal, Long made a save that led the Tigers to win on PKs over South Bend St. Joe. And in the regional final, the Tigers avenged a 1-0 loss to Northridge in the regular season with a 1-0 victory that gave them their sixth-straight championship.
CROWN POINT 1, WARSAW 0 (semistate semifinal) CP – Bay Kurtz (74th min) Shots – Warsaw 4, Crown Point 14; Shots on goal – Warsaw 2, Crown Point 6; Corner kicks – Warsaw 4, Crown Point 5 Records: Crown Point 19-0-1, Warsaw 14-3-5
CANTERBURY 5, MARION 2 (semifinal)
CROWN POINT 2, CANTERBURY 1 (final) Records: Crown Point 20-0-1, Canterbury 14-8-1
