FORTVILLE — The Mt. Vernon Marauders could have pointed fingers, and no one would have blamed them.
Instead, despite several questionable calls, the Marauders turned to each other with gratitude after losing to East Central, 3-1, during the Mt. Vernon Class 3A Sectional 12 semifinals on Wednesday night.
Two days after avenging their 2019 sectional finals loss and 2020 regular-season penalty-kick shootout defeat to rival Greenfield-Central, the Marauders built a 1-0 lead late in the first half, but it wouldn’t stand long.
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Mt. Vernon senior Jaden Price scored the team’s lone goal on a slow roller from 40 yards out during the 29th minute, and East Central responded to tie the game nearly three and a half minutes later.
Trojans’ JT Roden deadlocked the game 1-1 with 7:24 left in the first half as he slipped to the turf while sliding the ball towards the goal.
The right-footed shot ricocheted off the post and spun into the net past goalkeeper Noah Whitehouse.
The game remained in a stalemate until the 66th minute when East Central scored the go-ahead, 2-1, goal on a corner-kick set piece that traveled from Roden to Eric Puterbaugh and finally to Joseph Black, who fired a lined shot past Whitehouse.
Prior the to goal, however, the momentum changed following a questionable no-call as an East Central player dribbled a ball that touched his hands while the Trojans attacked inside the Marauders’ box.
“We talked about controlling things that we can control, but even I lost it on that one,” Mt. Vernon head coach Matt Mayhew said. “That’s a game-changer right there. I’m not going to blame it on the refs, but it’s a game-changer. That could have put us up 2-1, and it’s unfortunate it wasn’t called. When the other coach is apologizing for it, then you know (handball) was the right call.”
The no-call occurred with less than 20 minutes remaining in the second half. A previous goal by East Central was waved off due to offsides with 36:14 remaining.
The Trojans repeatedly attacked in the final 40 minutes, applying the pressure with 13 shots and eight shots on goal. East Central had 20 shots total and 13 shots on goal compared to Mt. Vernon’s nine shots and six shots on goal.
“We kind of had a lucky goal in the first one, but you’re thankful that he took the shot, so that’s just how the ball rolls,” Mayhew said. “But again, (their first goal) could have been offsides, too. But, you have to do what you have to do, and we just didn’t get it done tonight.”
The Marauders did as much as they could to score some revenge after losing to East Central in a penalty-kick shootout during the regular-season 2-1 (4-3) on Sept. 19 at Mt. Vernon.
In the first half, Whitehouse, a senior, tallied four saves and had seven in the game. He withstood a hard collision in the first half as an East Central player fell into the box and knocked him over while the Trojans swarmed the net.
With 11 seconds left in the first half, East Central was awarded one of a dozen free kicks and Whitehouse made a diving save to keep the game tied 1-1 going into halftime.
“He had some great saves. He had one in the first half and another one late where he dove around the wall,” Mayhew said. “He was able to save some free kicks. That’s why it’s a sad moment to see these seniors go, but they’re good kids and I know they’ll be successful in whatever they do.
“That’s their mentality. They’ll be the first ones cheering for the group next year, and that’s what you want out of a program with seniors. Doing it right.”
Tyler Webb, a junior, nearly gave Mt. Vernon a 2-1 lead with 28:04 remaining in regulation, but his shot on goal was tip saved by East Central goalkeeper Landen Weis, who had four saves.
East Central (13-2-1) had another crack at a goal at the 21-minute mark in the second half, but Puterbaugh’s shot bounced off the post.
Then, came the no-call.
“It’s tough because their first goal was questionable anyways because of offsides, maybe, so I don’t know. You never know?,” Mt. Vernon senior Aden Cappelletti said. “End of the day, you have to play through it because you never know what you’re going to get with officials.”
East Central’s final goal with 11:28 left in the game was awarded after another questionable ruling as Mt. Vernon was called for a foul in the box.
Puterbaugh buried the penalty kick, which increased the margin 3-1.
A Mt. Vernon player was issued a yellow card for disputing the foul after the team received another yellow card in the first half.
“We tried and played hard. We just didn’t get it done tonight,” Mayhew said. “At the end of the day, we did all we could.”
The Marauders finished the season 8-9-1, but the wins weren’t the team’s true measurement for success in 2020, according to Mayhew and his seniors.
At 9-9 last season, Mt. Vernon struggled with consistency on the field this year, but they established a stronger bond and a positive direction for the future.
“It took all of us to get here. We fought hard. Winning the first sectional game was a big one for us, especially for me, the program and the seniors,” Cappelletti said.
“I wouldn’t want to spend this moment with any other team, I can tell you that, Speaking for myself and others, I can probably say that this was our favorite year. Last year was, I don’t want to say bad, but it was a toxic environment, and this year, we changed that. I’m proud to say that.”
