By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – In a perfect world, with a movie-script ending to celebrate a hero’s conquest following a supreme struggle, one of the three Bedford North Lawrence seniors would have scored a game-winning goal to send them riding off into the sunset. That’s storybook stuff on Senior Night.
Real life never follows a script, neither does sports. One of the three did score, but Trinity Lutheran’s late rush salvaged a 3-3 deadlock as BNL honored their graduating triumvirate on Thursday night. The Stars did not record a win, but neither did they lose. The emotional tears were more about reaching the conclusion of a difficult journey.
Just a few years ago, the program was teetering on collapse. BNL finished with far less than the required number (11) for a complete team. The Stars suffered multiple lopsided losses. Look at them now. For Rachael Barr, JoLynn Wilson and Jayella Filler, their celebration night was more about surviving than winning.
They made it. Many others did not.
“When they were younger, they didn’t win a lot of games, it was the case where we didn’t have enough players,” BNL coach Bret Roberts said. “So it means a lot to me that they stuck with it and persevered. It shows their mental toughness and passion for the game. I’m glad we’ve had some success for them.”
The stalemate with the Cougars was a microcosm of what makes high school athletics so rewarding and intriguing. The Stars (3-7-2) played what was arguably their best soccer of the season. Passes were sharp, the offense was spread, the goals were beautiful. Then two breakdowns allowed Lutheran to escape with the dreaded tie.
Wilson got the Stars started with a penalty-kick goal at 32:50 in the first half. After Lutheran pulled even when Taylor Kramer stuffed home a shot during a scrum in front of the net following a corner kick, BNL went back to work. The Stars took a 2-1 lead at intermission when Mycah Munguia hooked home a gorgeous corner kick at 3:30.
Summer Hughes gave BNL a two-goal advantage when she drilled home a shot with 35:55 left. But two BNL mistakes allowed goals. The first was an own goal when the defense couldn’t clear a loose ball in front with 23:17 left, and the final was a rebound shot by Sydni Wolfe – when everyone on the field unexpectedly froze after BNL goalie Lauren Crozier stopped the first blast – with 17:35 remaining.
“I’m happy with how we played,” Roberts said. “The last two goals should not have happened, there was some miscommunication and some confusion. But it is what it is.”
BNL has unfortunate. Two shots hit the post, and Lutheran goalie Hannah Helt made two remarkable saves. The first came midway through the first half, when Hughes hammered a shot off the near post, and the ball caromed in front to Filler at point-blank range. Somehow, Helt made a spectacular diving save of the Filler fire, smothering the ball just inches from the goal line. Helt also made a leaping tip deflection of a shot late in the half, and Hughes hit the post again after the Cougars pulled even at 3-3.
But that’s like life. The bounces don’t always work in your favor. Those lessons will remain with the senior trio.
“It really does come down to who wants it more, who is willing to sacrifice their pain and their body, the frustration and mental barriers, who’s willing to leave it all on the field,” Barr said. “Every time we win and do well, it’s because we are very determined. That’s our strongest thing.”
“The main thing I’ve learned is discipline and teamwork,” Wilson said. “We’ve all grown as a family, especially the three of us while playing together. It will show in the long run.”
Filler will graduate midterm. She’s leaving her mark as a three-year captain.
“It was discouraging at times,” she said. “But soccer was one of the biggest reasons I made friends in high school. That’s my favorite memory, meeting the people I like most in life. I gained a lot of friends. I learned a lot of leadership skills, that has given me life skills.”
BNL still has time to put those lessons to work. The Stars will visit Whiteland on Saturday, then learn their fate for the postseason when the IHSAA announces the sectional draw on Sunday.
