By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
LAFAYETTE – Sloane May hasn’t gone more than one game without scoring at least one goal this season.
The Michigan commit didn’t deviate from that trend on Thursday night during the Class 3A regional semifinal inside McCutcheon’s Ellison Stadium.
The senior forward rattled in a goal during the 20th minute and added a second in the 60th minute to power top-ranked Hamilton Southeastern (19-0-1) past McCutcheon, 2-0, and into Saturday’s regional championship game at Kokomo.
May’s 13th and 14th goals of the season helped the Royals clinch their first regional tournament win since 2012 and pits them against 3A No. 2 Homestead (18-0), who defeated Fort Wayne Northrop, 5-1, to move into the title game.
“I’m just happy that the girls get to experience this because it’s special,” HSE coach Greg Davidson said. “There’s only a handful of teams that are still playing when you get into the regional championship. So good for these girls that they get to experience a regional championship game.”
HSE, which is ranked first in the nation by MaxPreps, posted its 15th shutout victory this year, and is chasing a potential sixth regional title in program history.
This past weekend, the Royals claimed their seventh sectional title and first in 13 years after defeating Mudsock rival Fishers, 1-0, in the Sectional 8 finals.
“They weren’t just satisfied with the sectional. Although that was a quality win for them, and it’s good for them to have that, the satisfaction of a sectional championship. But we’re hopefully not done yet,” Davidson said.
The HSE offense proved they were far from finished by peppering the host Mavericks (9-10) with a litany of shots, including a dozen after May’s initial goal and eight shots on goal before the intermission.
In the second half, the Royals continued to counter McCutcheon’s defensive strategy with 25 attacks, 15 shots and five shots on goal.
“Getting on the board early was important, so I’m glad I scored in the first half. It might not have been a good shot, but it was good just testing out the goalie,” May said. “Then also making sure that we could secure a lead.”
May’s first goal was deflected by the goalkeeper, but the ball trickled past the line for a 1-0 lead in the first half.
May’s second goal developed off a set piece initiated by senior Lauren Kutoloski, who passed off to let a scoring chance unfold.
May secured the pass and worked for a shot that unquestionably found the back of the net. May’s performance marked her first multi-goal game since she scored three against Avon on Sept. 4, 2024.
“We’ve been so balanced in our scoring where we typically don’t have too many girls that score multiple goals in a game, but obviously, Sloane is one of them that is capable of doing that in every game,” Davidson said.
Goalkeeper Hannah Dodge recorded her 15th shutout, as the HSE defense cut off the midfield a majority of the night.
While the Royals weren’t overlooking the Mavericks, they had Homestead in mind, who will enter Saturday ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps.
HSE is ranked second in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches Association. Homestead is ranked ninth.
Homestead has amassed 12 regional titles in program history with its most recent in 2021. The Spartans won their 24th sectional title all-time this past week, and last year, they lost 4-0 to eventual 3A state champion Noblesville in the regional finals.
Homestead is led by a trio of juniors in Audrey Johnson, Braylee Morris and Channing Xayarath who have 22 or more goals each. Johnson paces the group with 29 goals.
“We’ve watched film on them. They’ve got a couple of prolific scorers on their team, but so do we,” Davidson said. “I think it’ll be a wide-open game, and I like my team. I like our chances.”
The Royals will mark Homestead’s highest-ranked opponent this season after defeating No. 11 Evansville Memorial 3-0, No. 19 Lawrence North 6-3, No. 17 Penn 5-4 and Fishers 4-1 during the regular season.
HSE is ready for the challenge despite navigating uncharted territory in recent years.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and we’re just trying to take advantage of every opportunity,” May said. “It’s just super exciting to continue to advance and get closer to our ultimate goal of winning state.”
