Three Southwestern Indiana boys soccer teams advance to IHSAA regional finals

NEWBURGH — The best players rise to the occasion in the biggest moments. That was Lucas Jurdao on Thursday.

The junior forward scored with 77 seconds remaining to give Castle boys soccer a 1-0 victory over Floyd Central in the Class 3A regional semifinal. The No. 1 Knights earned a rematch with No. 2 Bloomington South in the championship at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Seymour High School.

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Survive and advance. Nothing else matters at this point.

"It's just belief," Castle coach Spenser Negley said. "It doesn't matter how we start. We just want to play a full game and be consistent. We've done that. We've been able to find the back of the net when we needed to."

Not much has come easy for Castle (17-2-1) in the postseason. The Knights beat a pair of top-10 opponents in the sectional by identical 1-0 scores, including overtime against Jasper. The regional semifinal was no different. Floyd Central played much stronger than its 7-0 regular season loss to Castle — the Highlanders were missing multiple starters to injuries.

Both had opportunities to flip the result. Castle's Leo Van Hoy hit the cross bar in the second half. Floyd Central (8-9-3) was stuffed on a breakaway and had the top-ranked team on its heels towards the end. The difference finally came in the 79th minute.

Jace Reiter cleared a long ball that found Jurado in the attacking half. The forward poked the ball behind one defender and out-raced another to plant a right-footed shot into the net. Jurado has five goals in three postseason matches and added to his team lead at 28 on the season.

"Lucas with his speed was able to get in behind it," Negley said. "Then beat one guy and buried it. Good to get him in that space, because usually he can find the back of the net."

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Next comes a major opportunity with significant ramifications. No. 1 Castle versus No. 2 Bloomington South for the regional championship. The Panthers handed the Knights a 1-0 loss on a humid weekend in August. The winner is arguably the favorite in Class 3A state tournament.

How could Castle prevail in a rematch? Follow a similar blueprint to the last two weeks. The Knights haven't allowed a goal in four postseason matches. The attackers have stepped up in critical moments. Time to put that full effort together against another quality opponent.

"We play together," senior goalkeeper Elliott Woodland said. "We fight all 80 minutes or more. We know, at the end of the day, there's just one job to get done. We know (the regional final) will be a challenge. We'll do what we do and play as a team."