Jordan Andric and Munster rose to the occasion when challenged Wednesday night.
The senior midfielder/forward scored two second-half goals as the visiting Mustangs posted a 4-1 Northwest Crossroads win against host Kankakee Valley.
The Mustangs controlled most of the game, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first half, with Andric also assisting on the first goal. After the Kougars cut their deficit to 2-1 against the run of play, Andric came through with a pair of goals in 11 minutes.
“We got the momentum back,” Andric said.
Munster (12-2-1, 5-0), ranked No. 7 in the Class 3A state coaches poll, secured the outright conference title by defeating Kankakee Valley (11-5, 3-2), which would have earned a tie atop the standings with a win.
The Mustangs have won at least a share of the conference title in 10 of the 11 seasons of its existence, including sole possession of eight. They split last season’s championship with Andrean.
“It’s nice to not have to share it,” Andric said. “We hope we can keep it going and win more titles.”
Munster, which has won a state-record 15 straight sectional championships, closes the regular season at Valparaiso on Saturday before opening the packed East Chicago Central Sectional against rival Highland. Mustangs coach Jim Prasopoulos liked the way his team played against the Kougars, possessing the ball and moving it crisply.
“I’m really pleased how we responded in this game, especially with it being late in the season,” Prasopoulos said. “We were highly motivated and very focused with everything we were doing.
“You’re always trying to gauge the mindset of your team and these guys don’t look ahead. They understand you can’t overlook any opponent and you can see it in their actions. You don’t always have teams like that. It’s really refreshing.”
Noah Witkowski’s stellar performance kept Kankakee Valley in the game against Munster, as the senior goalkeeper made 20 saves.
Will Fortenberry, in his first season as Kougars coach after having been at Portage, wasn’t upset about the way they closed the regular season on senior night. They play Kokomo in the Logansport Sectional.
“The guys at first didn’t expect to have a solid season,” Fortenberry said. “But they started believing in themselves and buying into what we were asking. I’m proud of what they’ve done.”
Munster wasted little time in grabbing the lead, scoring a goal with less than three minutes elapsed. Andric’s long pass released Sean Adams for a breakaway and the junior forward buried the opportunity.
Laith Srour’s terrific individual effort made it 2-0 with nine-plus minutes left in the half. Covering nearly 40 yards, the senior midfielder dribbled through and around a handful of Kankakee Valley players and put the ball in the back of the net.
But the Kougars sprung a counter with 28 minutes left in the game to draw to 2-1. Robert Poppe sped down the left wing and set up Cole Capps in the middle.
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That goal seemed to reawaken the Mustangs.
They answered five minutes later when Andric scored off a feed from Max Paredes. Andric scored again with 12 minutes left on an assist from Nathan Kekelik.
“We were kind of hoping to catch one with Munster, but they’re a great team,” Fortenberry said. “There’s no shame in losing to them. They deserve to be the conference champion.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff