By Rich Torres
ST. LEON — Steve Williams took a deep breath, diverted his eyes, and slowly readjusted his face covering as his emotions welled up inside.
For nearly 76 minutes on Saturday night, Williams’ Class 3A 11th-ranked Mt. Vernon Marauders had the nation’s second-ranked program on the brink of elimination.
For 41 minutes, the Marauders led 3A No. 2 Guerin Catholic, 1-0.
They carried a 2-0 lead for an additional 25-plus minutes after registering only the sixth and seventh goals scored against the favored Golden Eagles this season during the East Central Regional championship game.
“We had it. We were there. We were right there,” Williams said. “This Mt. Vernon team is a top-five team, and they took (Guerin Catholic) to the limit. I really expect that team to win state. We were so close, but things just happen.”
Guerin Catholic’s star senior Quincy McMahon turned the tide in the final 6 minutes, 28 seconds of regulation despite a nearly perfect defense against the UCLA recruit by the Marauders.
Senior Katie Gawrys, a Bellarmine commit, and the Mt. Vernon defenders kept the Golden Eagles and, particularly, McMahon (19 goals this season) quiet, but then the momentum shifted.
Guerin Catholic charged back to win 3-2 in overtime, ending the Marauders’ unforgettable run in fewer than nine minutes through a grueling 94.
With 16 wins this year — 60 in 75 matches the past four seasons — the Marauders and their seniors endured only three loses in 2020.
The last one stung the most, and for multiple reasons.
Already an elite eight team in the IHSAA state tournament, the Marauders were 388 seconds from the final four until fatigue and injuries got the best of them.
First, junior Brianna Hale went down with a leg injury with 17:32 remaining in regulation, which weakened the Marauders’ defense.
Next, after McMahon buried her first goal to cut the Marauders’ lead 2-1 with 6:28 left, the future Bruin lofted another deep dagger into the net three minutes later.
“They started getting on us the last seven minutes,” Williams said. “But, (my team) couldn’t have played harder. I couldn’t have asked anymore of them.”
For 11 straight games, the Marauders gave more than enough, winning 10 in a row to reach the regional finals after beating Roncalli 4-1 in the semifinal earlier in the day.
Mattie Isger scored two goals in the afternoon and added the championship game’s insurance goal, 2-0, off a free kick assist from Maddie Swingle in the 48th minute.
Swingle, who punched in the second goal of the semifinal, lined in the regional finals’ first off a corner-kick header lined up precisely by Shay Shipley in the seventh minute.
Both goals weighed heavy on the Golden Eagles, who amassed 17 shots in regulation and 20 overall compared to Mt. Vernon’s 11 total, but struggled to find any uncontested seams.
It required experience, which MaMahon offered as a former freshman on Guerin Catholic’s 3A state runner-up team in 2017.
The go-ahead goal by Evelyn Bestard at the 4:59 mark in the first overtime period was conjured from the past as well with the senior also being on the short end four years ago as a freshman at state.
“It’s was absolutely amazing what (Quincy) did for this team. She never gave up through the 80 minutes, and I think that just inspired an entire new belief for the team once those two goals went in,” Guerin Catholic head coach Sean Yau said.
“They didn’t lose faith in one another. To score three goals in about seven minutes is a testament to that belief and faith with one another.”
It was a challenge for the Golden Eagles (15-1-2), who ran through No. 8 Brownsburg, 5-0, in the other regional semifinal to advance.
The Marauders relied on their chemistry and fortitude to win their first sectional since 2015 at East Central last week. They shut out three ranked opponents this season, including East Central 3-0 during the sectional semifinals.
With 10 shutout victories this season, the Marauders were hurling towards a school-record, single-season 11th before they inadvertently forced Guerin Catholic to respond.
“You get into a situation like this, down 2-0, in a regional championship to a great team like Mt. Vernon, and you have the resolve to get over that hump in such a short span and finish the game when that game was almost done, that spirit and fighting mentality is going to take us to newer heights,” Yau said.
“You could tell they were a well-coached team. They knew what they wanted to do on the attack, and Anna Isger is a fantastic player. They cycled that ball in to her every single time, and she’s such an unselfish player and such a good player with vision that she was finding her other teammates in spaces. That’s a sign of well-coached team in how they adapted to our defense.”
Williams wasn’t taking credit for anything, despite his retirement following the conclusion of the game. He knows where the praise belongs.
“I’m more worried about these kids. I know what they put into this and how hard they played. These kids wanted it. They believed from the minute we got out here, we could win this game,” Williams said while fighting back tears.
“I think we made our community proud with how hard the the kids played. I know we scared the heck out of (Guerin Catholic).”
For 4,560 seconds, the Marauders did exactly that, and they walked off the field with nothing left to give.
“I’m very proud of my team. We were on the verge of history and that was a huge accomplishment for me, personally, as a senior. We hadn’t won sectional until this year, and to make it this far with that close of a game, I’m very proud of my team, and every single player played their hearts out,” Mt. Vernon senior Shay Stindle said.
Gawrys couldn’t agree more.
“We came in and we were ready. We knew we were the underdogs and they thought it was going to be easier than it was, and we were prepared for that and wanted it. We wanted it so badly, but it just didn’t fall our way.”
