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Noblesville girls repeat as state champions
Class 3A Girls Soccer State Championship
Final | Noblesville 3, Bloomington South 1
INDIANAPOLIS – The defending state champion Noblesville Millers had two choices Saturday night. They could either let history slip away, or they could get back to tradition.
Junior standout Meredith Tippner and the Millers chose the latter during the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A girls soccer state finals at the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Complex.
Down 1-0 to No. 11 Bloomington South nearly seven minutes into the game, the Millers (17-1-3) turned an early deficit into a one goal advantage by halftime and an eventual 3-1 victory to repeat for the second time in five years.
Tippner buried the equalizer in the 21st minute, splitting a pair of defenders with a hard shot that skidded through Panthers’ goalkeeper Paloma Martinez Lebathe’s hands, and she later assisted on Noblesville’s next two goals to solidify a historic evening.
With the Noblesville boys soccer team clinching its third straight 3A state title the game prior, the Miller girls team’s repeat marked the first time in IHSAA state soccer tournament history that both programs from the same school have won the crowns in consecutive seasons.
However, the Panthers (18-3-1) made a strong bid at spoiling the festivities in search of their first-ever girls soccer state title in just their second championship game appearance since 2002.
A breakaway goal by senior Katherine Lacy in the first half that developed off a long through ball across midfield put the Millers at an immediate disadvantage.
Fourteen minutes later, Tippner and the Millers responded, much like they did the weekend beforehand at the Kokomo Semi-State to defeat No. 9 Crown Point, 3-1, after trailing by one heading into halftime.
“We knew they were a good team, and we knew what they were going to try to do, and they did it to us early in the game, but this team has been resilient,” Noblesville head coach Mike Brady said. “We were down 1-0 last week. We came back to win. It was the same thing this game. Again, we didn’t flinch when they scored. We just got better at the game of soccer. We stuck together, and it took us to where we were hoping to get all season long.”
A team venturing through a rebuild with seven new starters in the lineup, the Millers’ peaked under pressure to win their ninth straight game and all it took was a challenge.
“None of us thought we were going to make it this far at the beginning of the year. We lost a lot of our starters from last year, so to be able to work hard this year as a team, really come together, communicate with each other, build that connection and to really be able to pull it through in the state finals, especially from being a goal down, feels great,” Miller senior Sydney Elliott said.
The Millers’ belief surfaced on both ends of the field, as the defense limited the Panthers to four shots, two on goal and goalkeeper Bella Wyatt, a junior, secured one save.
Junior Atley Pittman put the Millers ahead 2-1 in the 32nd minute off a slick cross pass from Tippner near the box. Pittman collected the ball and won a one-on-one to provide the breathing room the Millers needed before halftime.
“Going down one is never what you want, especially in a state finals game. There’s a lot of emotion that can go into it, and you either go up and get motivated from it or you just sulk in being down one,” Tippner said. “I think the team responded. Going down one last weekend was honestly very beneficial for us because we knew how to respond.”
Tippner’s second assist unfolded due to the Millers’ stifling second-half defense. A steal by freshman Kendall Kramer led to an outlet pass to Pittman, who slid the ball to Tippner. The final touch went to Elliott, who laced in her eighth goal of the season during the 64th minute.
“We talked at halftime that we needed to connect a lot more. They didn’t sub very much, so we knew if we just outworked them and outran them, then goals would come. And that they did,” Elliott said.
“We stepped up as a whole. It can’t be one player, it’s the whole,” Tippner added. “It was a whole team effort.”
It was a community celebration by the game’s end, as the Millers rushed towards the stadium stands with their fourth state championship trophy in hand and second back-to-back run since 2019.
The Millers’ repeat signifies the ninth time a girls program has won two or more state titles in consecutive attempts since Carmel first achieved the feat in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Noblesville’s two first-half goals tied a 3A state finals record, and its three goals tied for most in a 3A title game. The two teams combined to set a new record for most goals scored in a 3A state championship game.
Tippner’s two assists tied her with Penn’s Kristina Lynch (2017) for most in a 3A title game. Tippner, who now has three state titles to her credit (4A basketball in 2022), also owns the 3A girls’ soccer state finals record with 11 shots in 2022.
“Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t mess with her. She’s not afraid to take a team on her shoulders, and you could tell right then and there, she was going to equalize,” Brady said. “Great players do great things at great times, and that’s what she did today.”
Bloomington South's Coyne selected for Wynns Mental Attitude Award
Following the match, Annalise Coyne of Bloomington High School South was named the recipient of the Theresia Wynns Mental Attitude Award.
Coyne has earned All-District, All-Conference, and All-State for her play on the field and served as Team Captain this season. She also participates in Swimming, Track and Field, and Unified Track and Field at Bloomington South.
In the classroom, Annalise ranks 15th in her senior class of 392 students. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Women's Empowerment Club, Best Buddies, DECA, and the Drama Club. In her spare time, she volunteers coaching and reffing at youth soccer clubs in Bloomington and also serves as a swim instructor and lifeguard.
The daughter of Erick and Tracie Coyne of Bloomington, Ind., Annalise intends to study Biomedical Engineering but is still undecided on her college choice.
The award is annually presented to a senior, who is nominated by her principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability during her four years of high school. The award is named in honor of Theresia Wynns, who served as an IHSAA assistant commissioner from 1997-2012 and administered the sports of girls and boys soccer as well as the licensing of over 8,000 officials in the state of Indiana.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, a proud corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the general scholarship fund at Bloomington High School South in the name of Annalise Coyne.
