MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Carmel (Ind.) Greyhounds have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its eighth year honoring girls soccer.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For soccer, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 34,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Greyhounds ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Homestead 2-1 in overtime in the
IHSAA Class 3A state title match on Saturday, October 27 marked the completion of an incredible 20-1-2 season — and earned Carmel an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Kelsie James converted a crossing pass into the game-winning goal in overtime when Homestead goalkeeper Samantha Castaneda made a play on the ball and missed. James tapped in for Carmel's 10th girls state soccer title, all under the guidance of head coach Frank Dixon.
James scored the game's opening goal in the 51st minute on a penalty kick, only to see the runners-up answer with a goal of their own 10 minutes later. Carmel was unable to convert on a couple of free kicks late in regulation, once when James hit the cross bar. The Greyhounds did not allow a postseason goal until Homestead converted in the 61st minute of the title contest, outscoring its playoff opposition 9-1.
Led by James' five shots on goal in the championship contest, the Greyhounds outshot Homestead 25-9. Cassidy Eckstein and Susie Soderstrom fired three and two shots on goal respectively with Elyse Reed taking the other shot on goal for Dixon. Ashley Witucki was credited with an assist and Erin Baker allowed a goal and made a couple of saves in goal during the complete game win.
Carmel opened postseason play with a 2-0 win over Lawrence North before kicking in the door to the Final Four with a 2-0 triumph over Avon. The Greyhounds bumped Center Grove from state championship contention with a 3-0 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Homestead. Carmel opened the season with a scoreless tie with Guerin Catholic. Then, following a 5-0 blanking of Ben Davis, the Greyhounds upended Cathedral 1-0 to open the season 2-0-1. Following a 1-0 loss to Fishers, Carmel did not lose again, with the only blemish being a 1-1 draw with Noblesville. The Greyhounds outscored their opposition 59-5 on the year and posted 18 shutouts. Carmel held all 23 foes to one goal or less, while producing a season-high eight goals in a win over Lawrence North.
Having won 11 straight contests to end the season, the Greyhounds set themselves up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only is Carmel the top-ranked club in
MaxPreps' Indiana Class 3A Rankings, the Greyhounds are the best squad in all of
Indiana. Carmel is ranked No. 4 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Carmel Greyhounds an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium as we celebrate with the girls soccer team, coaching staff, students and fans on Wednesday, January 9 at approximately 7 p.m. during pregame of the boys basketball game.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.