Sophomore student Shalyn Hussey played for the Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles women's soccer team located in Noblesville, Indiana. Her squad dealt with adversity throughout the 2020 season, but despite dealing with COVID, the team willed their way to a state championship appearance.
Hussey plays outside back, a defensive position. In soccer, defenders don’t get as many chances as strikers and midfielders to score, but keep their focus on making their goalkeeper’s life easier. Without outside and centre-backs, there would be no one to stop the opposition from scoring a goal.
The Golden Eagles spent the entire season working for a chance at the state championship. They had to lean on each other when times were hard. After a successful regular season, they made their way through the playoffs and made it to the semi-finals.
This was their biggest challenge yet as they were facing the Noblesville Millers, a school located just a few miles down the road.
They had never faced Noblesville during the regular season and they didn’t know what to expect. They only knew it was going to be a challenge facing a school four times their size.
“We had played against bigger schools for the entire season, so we felt prepared,” Hussey said.
There were a ton of fellow students that attended the game in support of their school, and the team felt energized with the amount of support that showed up.
It was a fairly uneventful game for the first half, but with four minutes remaining in the match, the Golden Eagles found themselves down 0-2, but Hussey and her teammates continued to play with 100% effort despite being down two goals.
“For the entire season, there was always an emphasis on overcoming adversity, and that is exactly what we had to do with so little time left,” Hussey said.
Hussey’s teammate Quincy McMann was a huge role model for her throughout her high school career. McMann, a senior who was a UCLA commit, lost in the state championship her freshman year, and Hussey along with the rest of her teammates wanted to win this game so they could have a chance for redemption.
A goal was scored with just a few minutes remaining to bring it within a one-score game, and with very little time remaining, another goal was scored right before the end of regulation to go into overtime.
“The game-tying goal was actually an accident,” Hussey said,
The ball was kicked by McMann, bounced off of multiple players and miraculously went in the goal.
In overtime, the Golden Eagles willed their way to a victory to win the match 3-2. The student section stormed the field with glee as they defeated Noblesville to advance to the state championship.
“There was so much energy on the way home,” Hussey said.
Not many people get to experience playing in the state championship game and the seniors were determined and grateful to have another shot at bringing home the trophy.
Unfortunately, the Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles came up just short in the finals.
“Even though we lost in the finals, we learned a lot and gained a lot,” Hussey said. “Having the opportunity to be a part of something like that is a once in a lifetime experience.”
This experience confirmed Hussey’s love for the sport of soccer and is a huge reason why she is continuing her athletic career at Taylor University.
