The 2026 IHSAA girls soccer postseason run just slammed into a brick wall for the Lafayette area. For the first time this decade, none of our local teams will be playing for a regional championship, with Covington (1A), Harrison (3A), and West Lafayette (2A) all getting bounced in their regional semifinal matchups on Wednesday. It’s a tough pill to swallow after all three had fought hard to advance from sectionals.
Harrison Runs Into a National Juggernaut
Seriously, Harrison got absolutely hammered, losing 8-0 to Hamilton Southeastern. Coming off a dominant 7-0 win in their sectional final, you gotta feel for the Raiders. They ran right into the buzzsaw that is Hamilton Southeastern, a team out of Fishers that’s not just ranked #1 in the state, but #1 in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. Yeah, you read that right. The Royals are 20-0, already scoring eight or more goals in nine games this season, and they have an insane 115-4 goal difference against opponents. They were up 6-0 at halftime! Losing to the defending state champs, especially one playing at this level, is certainly not a blunder for Harrison, though. They finish with a solid 13-3-4 record and snagged their third sectional title in the last four years. That’s still a huge win for the program, no doubt.
West Lafayette and Covington Battle, But Fall Short
Over in the 2A bracket, West Lafayette came in hot after taking down Benton Central in the semifinal and then winning their sectional championship against Frankfort. But the Eagles from Culver Academies, ranked No. 46 in the state, just had their number, taking a 4-1 victory. Our Red Devils were down 1-0 at the half, but Audrey Kalb got them right back in it with a clutch PK goal. That’s what you want to see! Unfortunately, Culver Academies (10-4-1) just poured it on in the second half with three more goals to seal it. West Lafayette wraps up their season at 11-7-1, and hey, they still notched their seventh sectional title in the last eight seasons. That’s a crazy run of success right there.
And then there was Covington in the 1A regional. They battled hard against Oak Hill, who ended up with an impressive 19-1 record this season. Our Trojans were only down 2-1 at the half, so they were right in it, but another goal from the Golden Eagles made that comeback just too much. Covington finishes with a super strong 16-2-2 campaign, and they had a dramatic sectional championship win, beating Faith Christian 6-5 on penalty kicks. That’s some serious grit! The best part? Most of that squad is set to return next season, so Covington is gonna be a major threat in their class again. You love to hear that!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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