Before Wednesday night’s Class 2A Valparaiso Sectional opener, freshman forward Logan Mersman was moved up to varsity.
At halftime of the Vikings’ game against Hobart, he was told to start warming up, and he started mentally preparing to enter the game.
In his varsity debut, Mersman scored with five minutes left to propel Valparaiso to a 1-0 win against Hobart, using his head to deflect Sam Klumpe’s cross.
“I was really nervous,” Mersman said. “I just saw the ball coming, closed my eyes, put my head in and saw the ball go in the net. Then we just celebrated.
“It’s amazing. I can’t even describe the feeling. There’s just so many intense feelings running through your body knowing you just scored your first varsity goal in sectionals, and now you’re moving on.”
After escaping the upset-minded Brickies (2-15), the Vikings (7-7) will play Chesterton in Saturday’s final. The Trojans posted a 5-0 win against Portage in Wednesday’s first game behind three goals from Owen Hallas.
Valparaiso’s result left coach Danny Jeftich shaking his head.
“All the players I have, the freshman scores,” he said. “We moved him up to be a part of it. Then we told him to go in there and he did it. … I’m happy for him.”
That the game, dominated by Valparaiso, came down to Mersman’s goal was unlikely on several levels.
The Vikings had 16 corner kicks, with three for the Brickies. Valparaiso goalkeeper Evan Fletcher made two saves for the shutout. CJ Udoltz, who spent most of the season on JV, played well in making eight saves for Hobart.
“Unbelievable,” Jeftich said. “We don’t disrespect any opponent — that’s a fighting team. But how many chances did we have? We just couldn’t finish. But it doesn’t matter how many chances you have; you just need one.”
Chesterton (11-3-2), ranked No. 16 in Class 2A, had less trouble with Portage (5-10-2). Hallas scored each of his goals on a similar play, getting the ball and using his speed to finish.
“Just stay up on the last man,” he said. “I’m going to beat the last guy in a foot race most times. So I just have to stay high, and my teammates gave me great balls. It’s my job to outrun the kid and one-on-one with the goalie, I’ll take that.”
The Trojans grabbed control against the Indians with three goals in a little more than two minutes.
They took a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes elapsed when Jack Eaton headed home a Derek O’Dell corner kick. Less than a minute later, O’Dell scored off a rebound. And with 23 minutes left in the half, Hallas converted on a breakaway.
Hallas added his second goal with 10 minutes left in the half, and completed his hat track two minutes later.
“Owen’s had a great season — we’re not done, he’s not done,” Chesterton coach James Sensibaugh said.
Portage freshman goalkeeper Ethan Ables made eight saves to help keep the score 5-0, impressing Sensibaugh. He also had high praise for Indians senior forward/midfielder Josh Gonzalez.
“He’s had an amazing career,” Sensibaugh said. “I know he’s a little banged up, but he went out there and played hard.”
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Gonzalez — last season’s Post-Tribune Player of the Year, when he had 22 goals and six assists — finished this season with 19 and six. He was hampered down the stretch after suffering a calf injury in a Sept. 14 loss in penalty kicks to LaPorte.
“It’s very tough,” Portage coach Will Fortenberry said. “It was sad he wasn’t able to go all 16 games. The last four or five games, a couple he didn’t play, a couple he played only a few minutes. That hurt us too.”
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