FISHERS — Hamilton Southeastern is a program that Harrison boys soccer is plenty familiar with. A year ago in the regional semifinal of the state tournament, the Raiders beat the Royals 2-1 and later advanced to the IHSAA Class 3A championship game.
A trip back to the championship game won’t be in the cards for Harrison (11-6-3) this time. It fell to HSE (12-4-4) in a 3-0 loss Thursday, Oct. 15, concluding the season for the Sectional 7 winners of the last six years.
A dominant start for the Royals was all it needed to come away with the victory. Saint Jafri began the surge at the 30-minute mark of the first half off an assist from Mason MacEwen, and just under four minutes later, MacEwen drilled in a goal of his own off a cross from Cooper Perez.
More: How Lafayette area girls soccer teams performed in regional round
The nail in the coffin was on a corner kick with 6:40 left before halftime, as Ashton Wood delivered a ball to a leaping Matthew Lathrop, who knocked in the header to put HSE up by three goals.
Despite the Raider defense and goalkeeper Marshall Crowell holding the Royals off in the second half, the offense couldn’t produce enough to keep them in the game.
“I really thought that we would give these guys a little bit better of a run, but credit to them,” Harrison coach Byran Clouse said. “Chris (White) had his guys ready to go, and they’re going to be a tough out for anybody in the tournament.”
Experience might have been the biggest difference between this year’s meeting between both teams. Of the 29 players listed on the Royals roster, 23 of them were returning seniors. They’ve been battle tested and were better prepared for what Harrison had this time.
The Raiders had quite the opposite situation this season. Much of the personnel that got them deep into the postseason graduated, leaving just nine seniors of a 25-player roster and requiring many underclassmen to step into significant roles.
Although the experience likely hindered them, there were key players that stepped up in a big way for Harrison throughout the year. Freshman Elih Lopez-Gomez led the team with 12 goals, including the go-ahead score in the sectional championship win against Lebanon.
Crowell, the junior goalie, has blossomed as a huge piece in the net, breaking the record for saves in a single season for the Raiders. He had 132 before Thursday night, in which he added several more.
Between returning its goalkeeper, talent from JV coming up and several key players adding another year of growth and development, Harrison has a lot of promise to get back to deeper postseason success in 2027.
“It’s always a bonus to have a guy like Marshall Crowell between the pipes,” Clouse said. “A couple of captains return for us and young guys, so I like our chances next year. … We could take another step.”
The loss doesn’t dampen the confidence the Raiders have moving forward about the future. The last three years have brought an overall record of 16-3 in postseason play, and despite the margins often being close in those games, it often is on the better side of it.
This season showed how easy it can be to be on the other side. At any stage of the tournament, Harrison will have to encounter teams at the stature of HSE or better. That’s the reality of playoff soccer, and the fight the program has to win Class 3A isn’t going away.
“It’s tough to win, but that’s why we do it,” Clouse said. “That’s why I love doing it. I love to see these guys develop.”
Class 2A: Maconaquah 1, West Lafayette 0
Elsewhere in Lafayette-area regional semifinal action, the Red Devils were shut out, ending a 10-7-3 campaign. West Lafayette won its sectional round with wins over Western, Tipton and Frankfort, continuing a streak of sectional championships spanning the past nine years.
Class 1A: Faith Christian 4, Carroll (Flora) 0
The Eagles (15-2) continued the momentum they gained with a 4-3 comeback win over Central Catholic in the sectional round, scoring another four goals. This time, it didn’t require any heroics in the second half.
The road ends for the Cougars, who finished the season 9-8-1 and earned their third sectional championship of the last four years.
Chase Gemes covers high school sports and Purdue women's basketball for the Journal & Courier. He can be reached at cgemes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Harrison boys soccer falls in regional semifinal against HSE