PORTER TOWNSHIP | Fans arriving two minutes late to the Class A boys soccer sectional title game at Boone Grove missed the game-winning goal.
Cameron Varlan scored the only goal Boone Grove would need 87 seconds into the contest as the Wolves beat Kouts 3-0 to win their second straight sectional title Saturday.
“That goal was tremendous,” Boone Grove coach Brian Sherwin said. “I can’t ask for a bigger goal at a better opportunity. It was picture perfect.”
Nathan Miller made nine saves to record the shutout and Austin Aguilera added two goals for the Wolves.
“To be able to say, back-to-back (sectional champions) is one of the greatest things that I think could happen,” Sherwin said.
Boone Grove (13-4) advances to meet Marquette Catholic at the LaVille Regional on Thursday.
On a free kick, Shaw Hiestand sent a long cross toward the post, and Varlan made a run and headed the ball between the post and Kouts keeper Gabe Anweiler.
“We just got it perfect that time,” Varlan said. “I saw it, and I was like, ‘this is going in.’”
The Mustangs (12-7) made six shots in the second half to try for the tying goal, but couldn’t get past Miller. Jordan Greavu had the best chance for Kouts on a free kick from 20 yards out in the 43rd minute.
“We moved everybody into the top diamond, so it just came down to how are we going to finish this off,” Kouts coach Robert Dowhen said.
Kouts had a 9-8 edge in shots on goal. Anweiler made five saves for the Mustangs.
“(Boone Grove) outplayed us today,” Greavu said. “They had a stronger game than us. They had more pressure on our side of the field.”
Aguilera added insurance goals in the 67th and 78th minutes on similar plays. Both times he took passes from Nick Azevedo, split a pair of defenders and got around Anweiler to put a shot into the empty net.
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