Palmer Ault celebrating after scoring a goal in the 3A State Championship game. The Millers would win the game 3-1 against Carmel. Photo courtesy of Doug McSchooler
INDIANAPOLIS — Noblesville boys soccer coach Ken Dollaske knew he had something special in the Class of 2022 four years ago. Those inklings began during voluntary summer training sessions, he said, then truly took root at a preseason showcase in Mt. Vernon, where the first-year Millers were shutting out junior varsity teams by margins upwards of 10-0.
"You could tell that we had a string of success coming our way," he said. "It's been unbelievable the amount of talent that we have."
That group of 13 seniors realized their goals and properly fulfilled those lofty expectations Saturday night, besting rival Carmel, 3-1, in the IHSAA Class 3A championship game at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium.
"I can barely feel any part of my body," Dollaske said. "The shock of winning it after being so close the past couple years — it feels great. It's a relief. It's so many emotions. It's hard to describe."
Appropriate of such a powerful and well-rounded team, seniors Brady Horn, Palmer Ault and Spencer Holland accounted for the Millers' three goals, while senior goalkeeper Gabe Ingle and the backline ran his shutout streak into the final 15 minutes of regulation before finally conceding a goal for the first time since Sept. 21.
It's the first state title in program history for the Millers, who completed their postseason tour de force with their 12th straight victory.
"We've been working so hard for so many years," Ault said. "Finally reaching this finish line is a great way to end my high school career. We made a mindset at the beginning of the year, set a goal and we achieved that today. It's a great feeling. There's nothing better."
"I wouldn't rather do it with anyone else," senior Brayden Doll added. "These are the guys I still want to be friends with in 40-50 years. They're just the best people."
Saturday's contest followed a similar script to Noblesville's previous three games with the Millers scoring just moments into regulation.
It took them four minutes against Chesterton and it took them about three minutes against Carmel, with Horn redirecting the Greyhounds' clearing attempt into the back of the net from the penalty area.
If history was any indication, Noblesville was off to the races.
But Carmel refused to crack.
The Greyhounds maintained their game plan, getting the ball out to their wings and moving it as quickly as possible through the midfield third, while on defense they kept their shape and made it difficult for Noblesville to penetrate the offensive third.
Carmel looked sharp in the first half and was seemingly rewarded for its effort when Chase Havice scored off a corner kick, but the officials ruled goalie interference and waved off his potential-tying tally.
Five minutes later, Ault punished the Carmel goalie for coming out to challenge him, rolling a shot past him from the top of the box to double the margin.
"I just had to hit it one time around him," Ault said. "Luckily it went past him and there was no defender there to clear it off the line."
"When that goal gets called back, it's deflating," Carmel coach Shane Schmidt said. "But I think they did a good job of sticking to the task, even after we went down 2-0. We never stopped."
Carmel's persistency on the offensive end and effort defensively made the two-goal deficit feel closer than it appeared on the scoreboard — "Their goalie stood on his head a little bit," Dollaske said — but Ault and Holland extinguished any lingering doubts less than three minutes into the second half.
Ault raced down the right sideline, then cut toward the middle of the field as he neared the top of the box. With a defender between him and the goal, Ault threaded a perfect pass onto the foot of Holland, who buried the one-timer for his 19th goal of the season.
"I have all the faith in Spencer and once I got that ball off, I knew he was going to score," said Ault. "Once we found that third goal, it was smooth sailing from there on out."
Carmel finally broke through with 11:38 remaining, with William Latham scoring off a set piece — "Them getting that goal made our shorts a little bit tighter," Dollaske laughed — then nearly made it a one-goal game with four minutes left, but that shot grazed the outside of the post.
The Greyhounds launched a final frenzied push, then the celebration was on for the Millers.
"I'm super proud of this group," Schmidt said. "I told (the seniors): 'Fairytales don't always end the way you want them to, but you should be proud of what you did and what you accomplished in you careers here.'"
The Millers' title-clinching triumph served as the capstone to a 20-1-1 campaign, which saw them outscore their opponents 87-10 and run the table against in-state competition (lone loss was to St. Ignatius from Cleveland).
Isolated to the playoffs, Noblesville took out top-ranked Fishers, 1-0, to claim its second sectional title since 2019, then blasted through regional and semistate with three consecutive 5-0 victories.
It was a magical season for Noblesville, but Dollaske is already thinking about next year.
"That's been my motto every single time you talk to me," he said. "It's fantastic and I know I gotta let it sink in for a little bit, but I'm already thinking about what we're going to do in the offseason and how we can possibly repeat.
"I don't want this to be a one-and-done, flash-in-the-pan type thing. I want to build a dynasty here at Noblesville."
Article written by Brian Haenchen and originally posted in the IndyStar