SOUTH BEND — For the first time in the greater South Bend area’s history, two boys soccer programs begin a season as defending state champions.
Mishawaka Marian reigned in Class 2A in 2023, finishing its title season off with a 4-0 win over Evansville Memorial. A few hours before that, Bethany Christian — located in south Goshen — claimed its first state championship in school history when it outlasted Forest Park in penalty kicks, 2-1 (3-1 PKs), to win the 1A crown.
Both programs kicked off the regular season this past Saturday against each other, with the Knights prevailing, 3-1. There are numerous fresh faces for both Marian and Bethany Christian, as well as a bump up in classification for the Knights.
Youth movement underway for Mishawaka Marian
A veteran Marian group motivated by 2022’s state runner-up finish left no doubt last season, going 20-2. The Knights never trailed in its six postseason games.
It’s almost an entirely new roster for Marian this fall, as 12 seniors — eight of which were starters — have moved on. Some other roster attrition has left the Knights with two returning starters: senior defender Ethan Bryant and sophom*ore forward Luis Santos-Navarro.
Others back that didn’t start, but played in most matches are sophom*ore midfielders Manuel Ramirez and Treytan Fackelman.
Due to Marian’s success the last two seasons, the Knights have been moved up to Class 3A this year. They are in a sectional grouping with LaPorte, Michigan City, Plymouth, South Bend Adams and South Bend Riley.
Because of the revamped roster and moving up classes, Marian was not ranked in the 3A coaches preseason top 20.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids coming in, but they have the ability,” Marian coach Ben Householter said. “It’s starting new. We have some seniors back, but it’s kind of like clay that you need to mold. That’s the fun part; it also gives me more gray hair in these situations as well. It’s definitely enjoyable, but it’s going to take some time. We may take some lumps, but we’re going to put it together.”
The "other" football:Complete coverage of the 2024 season from South Bend area
Bethany Christian to face tough schedule
The Bruins went on a magical run to win last year’s state title, winning three of its final four postseason games in penalty kicks.
Two of the key figures on that state team — junior forward Sawyer Beachy and senior goalkeeper Jacoby Reinhardt — are back for Bethany Christian. Beachy scored the game-tying goal in the state finals with less than two minutes left in regulation, and Reinhardt saved three of four shots in penalty kicks to secure the state championship win for the Bruins.
Other starters returning include junior midfielder Jude Miller, sophom*ore midfielder Lian Espinosa Lopez, junior forward Zane Parson and junior defenseman Toby Mast. While its more starters back than Marian, that still leaves five new faces in the lineup for the Bruins, including 75% of their defense.
Being the defending champs, Bethany Christian was ranked No. 1 in the 1A preseason coaches poll. They’ll have earned that spot if they stay there throughout the season, as the bulk of its schedule comes against either elite 1A teams or good 2A and 3A programs.
“We lost a big group of seniors that had played a ton of minutes starting their freshman year,” Bethany Christian coach Tony Janzen said. “The guys know it’s a process. We’re working towards October — that’s the goal, right? We know we’re not going to be there for a while, and it’s going to take us some time. There are glimpses of a good team out there.”
Other top South Bend area boys soccer teams heading into 2024
Northridge Raiders
The No. 11 (Class 3A) Raiders started its season with a 2-2 draw against Chesterton Saturday. Northridge went 15-2-2 last year, winning the Northern Lakes Conference championship outright before dropping a heartbreaker to fellow NLC foe Concord in the sectional final. Junior Julius Esquivias led the team in goals last year and already has one this fall. Senior Justin Jimenez had the other tally against Chesterton, while new goalkeeper Cesar Moreno Calderon made six saves.
Goshen RedHawks
Goshen, ranked 13th in the preseason 3A poll, opened its season with an impressive 3-1 win over Elkhart over the weekend. Senior Landon Clayton had a pair of goals to pace the RedHawks, who are coming off a 10-3-4 campaign in 2023. It’s a senior-heavy team, as Clayton, Will Richardson and Hayden Clark were the top three goal scorers for Goshen as juniors last year.
Concord Minutemen
Concord surprised some people last fall, beating Goshen, Northridge and Penn on its way to reaching the 3A regional championship game. It’s top three scorers from last year return in seniors Jimmy Gomez and Keagan Troup and junior Yurem Castro. The Minutemen’s leading goalkeeper, senior Rafael Sabas, is also back.
Penn Kingsmen
Penn went 11-6-3 last fall, winning a 3A sectional championship in the process. Key players returning include senior Andre Gomez and sophom*ore Brady Harper. The Kingsmen are in a loaded sectional this season that also has Northridge, Goshen, Concord, Elkhart and Mishawaka.
South Bend Saint Joseph Huskies
It was a disappointing 2023 season for the Huskies, going 4-12-1. A new head coach has taken over the program in Pablo Martinez, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach. The Huskies have an experienced goalkeeper back in senior Andy Yergler, but scoring goals will be paramount for Saint Joe after only totaling 24 in 17 matches last year.
South Bend Trinity at Greenlawn Titans
Trinity nabbed the final spot in the 1A preseason poll, checking in at No. 20. The Titans are tasked with replacing one of the state’s leading goal scorers from last year, as Caleb DeLorenzo scored 37 times for a team that went 12-4-1. Sophom*ore Nathan Palmer — who helped the Trinity boys golf team reach the state tournament this past spring — returns after scoring 15 goals in 2023.
Others to watch for: Elkhart (9-7-2 in 2023), Bremen (10-7-2 in 2023), New Prairie (9-7-1 in 2023).
