BIG-TIME BALAS
Junior goalkeeper makes 8 saves as Chesterton beats Valparaiso for 1st sectional title since 2017
Over the first four games of this season, Chesterton allowed five goals twice. That included against Valparaiso, Saturday’s opponent.
Junior goalkeeper Carley Balas wasn’t concerned.
“It’s one senior and three sophomores on defense, so it took getting to know each other,” Balas said. “We weren’t used to each other back there. At the beginning, we didn’t work together, but trust was the No. 1 thing. Once we had trust in each other, that was the most important part.”
Balas did her part and then some in the Class 3A Chesterton Sectional championship game, making eight saves as the host Trojans defeated Valparaiso 2-0.
It was the first sectional title for Chesterton (14-4) since 2017 — and senior forward Addy Joiner knew where to give a bunch of the credit.
“Carley saved our butts, on several occasions,” Joiner said. “She’s a beast. She’s a brick wall back there, I swear.”
A pair of point-blank stops in the ninth minute proved to be the boost Balas and Chesterton needed.
“As it’s all happening, I’m freaking out, but I know I gotta get up and get in there,” Balas said. “After I saved it, I think the whole team was like, ‘We’ve got this.’ We settled down after that. It settled me down, too.
“I just needed to calm down and make the right saves, and it’d be OK.”
It was the eighth straight shutout for Chesterton (14-4), which plays Duneland Athletic Conference rival Crown Point in the second semifinal of next Saturday’s South Bend Adams Regional.
“That’s Carley, our defense and everybody rounding into form.,” Chesterton coach Ben Forgey said. “Of course, we know Carley’s level, too, and she helped win the game.
“We have talent, work rate. We’ve got all it takes to win these games. A team that’s ranked No. 4, I don’t care, I’ll play anybody with this group.”
Back on Aug. 27, Valparaiso (15-1) defeated Chesterton 5-1.
“This was a game that both of us had circled,” Forgey said. “They were undefeated and had a great season. You can’t take anything away from them, but we’re good, too.
“When they played us at the beginning of the season, we weren’t the same team we are
now. If they thought they were four goals better than us, I hope they do. We showed they’re not and we know they’re not.”
Joiner, who said she almost vomited Saturday morning due to nerves, scored on a 30-yard free kick in the 66th minute. She also had an assist on Gina Geenen’s goal in the 11th minute.
“It’s surreal,” Joiner said. “I’m still out of breath. It all comes full circle because we won it freshman year and now this year. This was probably the biggest game of my high school career, the last one here with everyone and such a great team. I’m so glad we won. Ben said it once and I’ve repeated it ever since because I think it’s the best thing — ‘hit or be hit.’ We went in and tried to want it
more than they did, and I think it showed.”
The win capped an undefeated four years for Joiner on her home field. Balas said Joiner is someone who always brings her A-game.
“Yes, it’s mostly the goals, but you see the assists, coming back to win the ball, drawing fouls, protecting the ball and leading from the front,” Forgey said of Joiner. “Big players play big like Carley and Addy, but look at the red faces we have over here. It wasn’t just our big players.
“It was nice they had big games, but everyone contributed.”