That’s what New Albany boys’ soccer coach Dutch Vigar puts the team’s postseason success in recent years down to.
The small things and some good fortune are a couple of the reasons why we said goodbye to Hoosier Hills Conference champions Floyd Central, who had gone unbeaten all season until Saturday (and remain unbeaten in the regular season). The Highlanders’ 15-1-2 achievement should not go forgotten.
Brian Fischer: 21 goals this season.
After a repeat of 2009’s IHSAA sectional championship penalty shootout victory over the Highlanders — and its third sectional title in a row — New Albany (6-9-2) will face Jeffersonville (16-2) Wednesday night in the second successive regional semifinal between the teams (Floyd Central, 8 p.m.).
Last year, New Albany won a tight encounter, courtesy of a Kameron Jenkins header, before going on to beat Seymour in the regional final on penalties.
This time, Carson Webb's Jeffersonville will be hoping to avoid a bus crash (no one hurt) before the game and a clean bill of health (three Red Devils missed the game due to sickness) for all its players.
That’s the easy part.
Although the Red Devils had a comfortable 4-0 victory over New Albany in the regular season, they should well know by now how resolute the Bulldog defense is this time of year.
The Red Devils do have, however, a strong attack. Brian Fischer has continued his regular-season form into the state series, already bagging five goals — including a hat trick against Providence in the Jeff Sectional decider on Saturday — to bring his tally this fall to 21.
Then there’s Jordan Vejar, who has 16 goals; Roberto Martinez (12); Gavin Leavell (11) and Vincent Straight (10).
Lucas Rigsby, who scored two goals against New Albany in the regular season, has eight goals and leads the team’s assists column with 19.
If the Bulldog rear guard, which includes goalkeeper C.J. Reynolds, Jordan Blessinger, Nick Blackwell, Luke Lete and Omar Garcia, can hold strong, it will be hoping its midfield and strikeforce can penetrate a Jeffersonville three-man defense.
Jenkins has six goals of his own in the postseason, while teammates Justin Oliver and Sean O’Connor also will be looking to catch the Red Devils on the break.
The winner of Jeffersonville and New Albany will be playing for a third IHSAA regional championship, as both have won it twice. The sectional count now stands at five and six, respectively, as we enter a two-class system next year when both teams are likely to return to facing off against each other before any regional takes place.
For the record, the Bulldogs also won a state championship in 1975, were state finalists in 1978, and won three regional and semistate championships in ’75, ’77 and ’78 before the IHSAA-organized tournament kicked off in 1994.
In the first of Wednesday night’s semifinals (6 p.m.), five-time sectional champs Madison (13-6-2) — 5-1 winners over Southwestern on Saturday — will take on Trinity Lutheran (15-2-1), which beat Seymour 5-2 to claim its first sectional championship.
The winner will get a chance to play for its first regional title in the final game at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
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