An answer for everything
After getting a yellow card earlier in the game, Wadowski puts Chesterton on top against Munster in regional semifinal
Josh Wadowski felt compelled to redeem himself.
And the junior midfielder delivered in Chesterton’s Class 3A regional semifinal on Thursday.
Wadowski scored the go-ahead goal against host Munster as the Trojans emerged with a 3-1 win.
Moments before the Mustangs (13-5-1) scored the tying goal with two minutes left in the first half, Wadowski had received a yellow card for overenthusiastically celebrating a yellow card he had drawn from Munster. The sequence did not sit well with Chesterton coach Lucas Sabedra.
“Coach was ripping on me at halftime,” Wadowski said. “Getting that goal to take the lead — the goal they had was technically my fault — to get that goal right back meant a lot.”
Indeed, Wadowski reclaimed the lead for the Trojans (17-1-1), who ended the regular season ranked No. 4 in the state coaches poll and advanced to play South Bend Adams (16-3-1) in the Goshen
Regional final on Saturday. Adams topped No. 8 Elkhart 2-1 on Thursday.
Munster’s goalkeeper had deflected a cross from Jacob Perkins, and Wadowski was there to collect the ball and bury the shot six minutes into the second half.
“I know Jacob always takes it down the line, and he loves that shot with his left foot,” Wadowski said. “I just anticipated it all game long. It bounced off the keeper’s hand, and I was right there to put it in.”
Sabedra was happy Wadowski, given his responsibilities, was rewarded with his third goal of the season.
“Josh is such a workhorse,” Sabedra said. “When you take him off the field, it’s so noticeable.
“As a freshman and sophomore, it was just recognizing his work ethic and his athleticism. He’s become such a technical, smart, high IQ player. He’s just changed his game. The way he works in the middle is someone you hate playing against. He covers so much ground. He’s constantly running, constantly challenging kids, great
tackles, always winning everything in the air. He does all the gritty stuff you need someone to do. He’s box to box the entire time. He’s a specimen.”
Perkins, a senior forward, was involved in all three of Chesterton’s goals. He had two assists. One set up Gage Kruper’s goal that gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 18 minutes left in the first half.
The No. 15 Mustangs — who “outworked” the Trojans for most of the first half, according to Sabedra — equalized on a goal from Abner Chen, who put home a rebound of Alex Orange’s shot.
But Chesterton moved back ahead on Wadowski’s goal. Ryan O’Dell added an insurance goal with six minutes left on an assist from Perkins.
“Jacob creates,” Wadowski said. “Me and all my friends call him the magician because he gives out stuff like no other. He creates stuff like no other. He’s just such a great player and creates so much for the other guys on the team.”
Munster coach Jim Prasopoulos declined to comment after the game.
The Trojans had beaten the Mustangs 3-0 on Sept. 4.
“We knew we were the better team,” Wadowski said. “We knew what we had to do better in the second half, and we did it. We came out with the win, and that’s all that matters.”